


How to Foster an Asshole

by emiartse



Series: How to Dadvid [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Kidnapping, Caffeine Withdrawal, Concussions, David & Gwen Adopt Max (Camp Camp), David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), David Adopts Max (Camp Camp), David is Canadian and you can fight me on that, David is trying his best, Depression, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Forgive me Max, Foster Dad, Frostbite, Gen, Gunshot Wounds, Gwen is a weekend mom, Heavy Angst, Heavy child abuse, Hypothermia, I DONT MAKE THE RULES, I know he likes dogs too but he always struck me as a cat person, I swear there is a happy ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Max (Camp Camp) Needs a Hug, Max is a cat person fight me, Max is a little shit., Max is a sad bean, Max's father is a piece of shit, Night Terrors, Now featuring kittens, Oh wait, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Platonic Relationships, Seriously Chapter 22 is FUCKED UP, Shock, Sick Character, Temporary Hearing Loss, The Author Regrets Everything, The Author Regrets Nothing, This fic keeps me sane so it ain't gonna be short, Warning Labels change from Teen to Mature in Chapter 22, What is tagging and how do you do it, Whump, Yep definitely has gwenvid couldn't help myself, but still a good mom, can we yeet max's dad off of vormir, dadvid is the main focus tho, david is the best dad, if im depressed so is max, lots of references, might have some gwenvid i dunno, oh mr thakur if only there was somebody who loved you, so many references, somewhat accurate depiction of fostering, therapy kitten, violence against a child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2020-11-01 09:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 76,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20812493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emiartse/pseuds/emiartse
Summary: David becomes Max's foster dad after the ten-year-old runaway turns up at his doorstep. Things get interesting.Ft. Mama Gwen





	1. David Gives Max a Lecture on Appropriate Winter Attire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, so this is a thing I wrote at 3am...

_...I forgot to pack underwear, goddammit._

Max shifted, rolling over on his side in the cramped, smelly, and frankly, disgusting bus. He checked his busted up watch for the fifth time in twenty minutes; the thirtieth time in the hour. The silver watch, with a crack in the glass read, 3:47am. Max groaned.

He looked around the bus, there were only a few people on the bus, but despite that the bus was tight and claustrophobic. Max took a deep breath, then surveyed the fellow travelers. A young woman with greasy blonde hair and tired blue eyes met his gaze. She smiled weakly then focused her attention back on the sleeping infant that clung to her.

_Maybe she's running away from someone too. An abusive boyfriend? Perhaps her parents kicked her out. Maybe her parents beat her black and blue every time they did something wro-_

Max shook himself out of his thoughts, then reached into his old Adidas bag, filled with his necessities. Besides my fucking underwear, ugh. He searched around for a moment, then fished out his ancient iPod and half-broken headphones. He scrolled through the music for a moment, picked one, then laid his head against the window, watching as the buildings sped by. Max let the music fill his mind, well one ear, and his eyes grew heavy.

_I hear noises...awoken from my sleep_

_I'm haunted by the thoughts, I creep_

_If the earth quakes down, buildings fall_

_I'm pulling pictures off, from our bones, till you say…._

\----------------------------------------------------------

David sat, snug in his old cozy patchwork chair, eyebrows furrowed as he sipped at his fifth cup of coffee that morning. The half-graded tests of his students sat in his lap, taunting him. He sighed defeatedly, as another failed test landed in his graded pile.

_What am I doing wrong? The tests themselves are not that difficult! I could do them with my eyes closed! Maybe it’s my teaching method…No! Not possible! I go over everything in perfect detail! Then what is it?_

David hissed as his head suddenly ached, he reached up to massage his pounding temples. He sat back, resting his head against the red chair that smelled of sweet maple syrup and the forest. He let his mind wander to his happy place, Camp Campbell. He missed the sound of fresh leaves crunching under his hiking boots, the intoxicating smell of the countless array of trees surrounding him, the beautiful sight of the Camp Campbell flag fighting against the wind. Most of all, he missed his campers, he missed Gwen, he missed the Quartermaster, he even missed that stupid platypus.

As David rose from his recliner to change from coffee to tea, he thought of all the adventures of the past summer, they joyous sounds of laughter of each camper. He recalled with a smile as he grabbed his favorite blend of tea, Lemon Green, and set the kettle on the stove. He grabbed his _#1 Camp Counselor_ mug, his eye caught the chip in it and he smiled. Max, who had taken the mug from David one morning and chucked it across the room. Miraculously, it hadn’t shattered but the top of it had chipped significantly. Max had apologized begrudgingly for it later, then retorted that if they hadn’t run out of coffee that morning, the mug would’ve been spared such abuse.

Later in the summer, he had even offered to replace the mug, but David refused claiming he had grown rather fond of the crack in mug. “It reminds me of how much you have changed since then Max,” David had said. And it was true, Max had grown tremendously in the span of one, abnormally long summer. Though not enough for Max to refrain from calling David an “idiot”, and proceeding to stomp away.

He wondered how Max was doing now, if he was doing well in school, did he still keep in contact with Nikki and Neil. He had seen the three exchanging numbers the last day of camp, but he hadn’t spoken to any of the campers since then. However, that had not stopped David from giving Max his phone number at the end of the summer, given how fond Max was of stealing David’s phone.

In truth, David was worried. Max had seemed quieter that day, if David was anyone else he would’ve labeled it as tiredness. But he wasn’t, he was David, and David cared about Max. The little troublemaker had managed to dig his way into a platonic crevice of David’s heart, whether he meant to or not, most likely not. Though David didn’t like to have favorites, he couldn’t help himself with Max. He had no idea why he was so fond of the boy compared to the other campers, it wasn’t like any of the others were as devious and deceptive as Max. In any case, that fondness had contributed to David recognizing the fear plaguing Max’s expression on the last day of camp.

David had questioned Max on his relationship with his father many times, but each time Max would shut him out and refuse to speak with him for days at a time. So he ceased asking, not wanting to put any more strain on their relationship. Still, the fear on Max’s face had been haunting him since.

_Maybe I should see if Gwen has his number…_

\----------------------------------------------------------

Max handed the bus driver a wad of crumpled tens, hoping it would be enough to cover the long drive. The driver glared at him with dark beady eyes, then huffed, opening the door. Max slung his bag over his shoulder and stepped out onto the pavement. He looked back at the bus, and again saw the woman with the infant from the window. She smiled at him as the bus drove away.

Now alone, the dark and cold street grew somewhat terrifying. He pulled up his hood around his head, hiding his face from any pedestrians he might cross. He reached into his bag, looking for the crumpled sticky note with David’s address. Once found, he zipped back up his bag, hoisting it again over his shoulder and began journeying through the cold, snow-covered streets of Maine.

_Of course David would live in the coldest fucking state ever, damn Canadian. I can do this. I can do this. Just be casual Max, ask to crash for awhile and offer to help with rent. Maybe they’ll let me sell papers or some shit. God-damn child labor laws…_

A sudden gust of cold wind tore at Max, nearly knocking him over. He steadied himself on a nearby railing, and continued on.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Max could no longer feel his fingers or toes, his entire body was shivering violently. The cold has seeped his through his hoodie, chilling him to the bone. He needed to hurry.

_Okay make a left here...or was it the next left? Fuck I'm starting to lose it. I can't give up now! I'm so close._

Max managed to carry on in the 15°F weather, stumbling through the dark. After about thirty minutes of walking blindly through the snow, Max's shivering had long since subsided. He was so very close, maybe five minutes away when his tiny frame was racked with a violent coughing fit and Max's knees buckled, falling into the snow.

_Shit...I need to….I need to get up…..so tired... I'm so tired….maybe just a small nap...yeah...a small nap and then I'll carry on…._

\----------------------------------------------------------

David turned off Netflix, the episode of _Our Planet_ abruptly cutting off. He made his way from the living room into the kitchen, making a right into the foyer. He opened up his storage closet, grabbing his green parka and toboggan. He made his way back to the kitchen, to the trashcan next to the half wall that separates the kitchen and living room. David pulled out the heavy trash bag, tying the ends tightly together. Hoisting up the bag over his shoulder, he made his way back into the foyer setting the bag down again. He began whistling joyously as he outfitted himself against the bitter cold, grabbed his bag and stepped outside.

_Oh, it's still dark out...better be quick._

David made his way down the front steps of his tiny city home into his poor excuse of a front yard. He opened up the front gates and looked to his right where the big trash can was. He paused, breath hitching in his throat as he noticed a strange dark lump in the snow a few yards down. He quickly put his trash up, then called out to the shadow,

"Hello? Are you okay? Or are you not actually anything and my mind is playing tricks on me?"

No response. David shifted closer to the figure, cautiously. He had expected the shadow to grow bigger the closer he drew, but it remained small. He stopped dead in his tracks, the form finally taking shape.

_Oh my God...that's a kid!_

David's feet finally unfroze from the ground and he raced to the child face down in the snow, hoodie over their head. It was too dark to tell if they were a boy or girl. David flipped them on their back and pressed two fingers to their jugular, sighing in relief when he found a steady pulse.

He then took off his parka, shivering as the icy wind hit his skin, and wrapped it around the freezing child. He fumbled in the dark for the zipper for a moment then zipped the parka up as high as possible and pulled up the hood. David scooped the child up in his arms, surprised by their weight, or lack thereof, and began speedily walking back to his house.

It wasn't until he had reached the front gate that the child stirred. Mumbling out in a frail voice,

"..dav...David…?"

David's eyes widened comedically as he looked down. There was just enough light from the front door to make out two hazy, but familiar green eyes, usually much brighter but still the fact was irrefutable. The eyes then rolled into the back of his head and the child went limp.

It was Max.

The revelation only made David move faster, practically bolting to the front door, fumbling with his keys one handed. He practically kicked open the door, running through the threshold before appropriately slamming the door shut. His mind was racing a million miles an hour. He made his way into his room, placing Max gently onto his bed. He went back out momentarily to crank the thermostat's heat to max and hastily built a fire in the fireplace.

David made his way back into his bedroom and unzipped Max from the now wet parka. He grabbed a giant t-shirt from his dresser and stripped Max of his practically frozen sweatshirt. His skin was practically blue and he was covered in.... David paused, alarmed, but the current issue was more important, he continued stripping Max of his wet clothes. He dressed Max into the large t-shirt and grabbed hold of his shoes, pulling off each along with soaked socks.

_Crap, his toes are frostbitten._

David grabbed his fuzziest wool socks and a pair of sweatpants that would be far too long for Max but it would work for now. He carefully stripped Max of his jeans, trying not to breach the boy's privacy as much as he could, but his jeans were practically frozen, he couldn't keep wearing them. He quickly hooked the sweatpants around each leg then grabbed the hem, pulling Max's limp body into a standing position and practically shucked Max into the sweatpants. He opted to leave Max's underwear on, they were only damp and would dry by the fire. David didn't want to invade Max's privacy more than he already had, that would be inappropriate and weird.

He practically swaddled Max in his warm comforter and grabbed his pillow from the bed. Scooping up Max into his arms, he brought him back out into the living room. Placing the pillow down at a safe distance from the now blazing fire, he layed Max down onto the floor. David made his way into the second bedroom he used as storage, he found more blankets, and laid them adjacent to Max, wanted to let the fire warm him first before adding more.

He took a moment just to look at the frozen child now occupying the living room, he brushed back his long dark curls from his face. A small drop of water landed on Max's cheek, it was then that David realized he had been crying since bringing Max into the house.

David shook himself, wiping both their faces clear of tears. He internally chastised himself.

_This is no time to be crying, I need to get Max warm._

David got up from the floor and made his way to the kitchen sink. Turning the water to hot, he grabbed a bowl and washcloth from the cabinet and filled the large bowl. He made his way back to Max, dipping the washcloth in the water, and placing it against the child’s forehead. Max made what sounded like a sigh and leaned into the touch, shifting his body closer to the warmth of David. David looked down at Max, smiling. He finally let his mind attempt to process the sudden events of the night...morning? He looked out the window as dawn was lazily approaching, he then turned to the old clock on the wall in between the two bedrooms. The clock read 6:32am.

_What a night...how on earth did Max get here? Why the heck would he make such a dangerous trip in the freezing weather?! Golly, I am so having a stern talk with him about wearing appropriate apparel in the snow when he wakes up. Oh right! His feet are frostbitten! I forgot!_

David gently unswaddled Max, in which Max responded with a half-hearted whine at the loss of warmth.

“Shh...It’s okay, bud. I just need to check your feet for damage, then I’ll wrap you back up…”

He peeled off the woolen socks and examined the reddish toes. Honestly, they could be much worse, at least Max would come out of this with all ten toes. David grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and placed it under Max’s cold toes, he then got up and made his way to the bathroom to grab his first-aid kit. As soon as he sat back down next to the boy, he began carefully wrapping each individual toe with bandages, making sure to place a wad of cotton in between each toe. After he was satisfied with his handiwork and certain that Max wouldn’t be able to injure himself further by rubbing his toes together, he placed his warm socks back onto his feet. He then re-burritoed Max in the blanket, who sighed in relief, a comforted expression settling on his face. He sat there a moment longer, wondering if there was anything else to be done or anything he missed.

_Is this enough? What can I do, I feel so helpless...ugh...I need to call Gwen._

David pulled out his old Samsung phone and scrolled through his contacts, then clicked _Best Co-Counselor._

\----------------------------------------------------------

“What the FUCK do you mean Max is at your house?!”

The red-head yelled into her receiver, then cringed internally for fear her roommate might hear her loud voice. She repeated herself in a more muted tone.

“What do you mean? Max just showed up?”

“Well...kinda….” Gwen huffed annoyingly into the phone, waiting for David to explain himself. “I found him passed out in the cold, its 15° outside, Gwen. He tried to get here on foot! At night! In a darn hoodie and jeans. I don’t know what to do Gwen, he still hasn't woken up.”

“Holy shit...the kid must’ve either been really brave or really stupid to try that.”

Gwen heard David let out a whine on the other end, “Gwen…..”.

“Sorry, sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Do you think he needs to go to the hospital? Is he running a fever?”

Gwen heard David moving on the other end of the phone, she took that moment to quietly creep back into her room, there she had more privacy.

“No, thank God. He’s just exhausted, he’s warmed up a bit and he’s shivering again so that good.”

“How is that good?!”

“Well he was out there for at least an hour, his body would’ve stopped shivering when the Hypothermia worsened. Shivering is good.”

“Oh.” Gwen blanked. She didn’t know shit about these situations, it wasn’t like Campbell made them go through proper medical training, too expensive. She frowned thinking about the selfish man for a moment, then turned her thoughts back to David’s unexpected house guest.

“Wait, I thought Max lived in New York? How on earth did he get to Maine? That must of been at least ten bus transfers. Where’d he get that kind of money?”

She heard David pause and start moving again, he was searching for something.

“Well all he had with him was an old Adidas bag strapped to his shoulder, going through it all he brought was; jeans, an extra hoodie, some basic necessities, his ipod and headphones, his bear, and...a few crumpled....woah this is like two hundred bucks. What the...he didn’t pack any underwear? Heh...must of forgot.”

Gwen moved from her small twin bed to her old desk, slumping over on the table. “Sounds like Max, heh. Why would he run though?”

She heard David take in a shaky breath, it sounded almost like he was restraining himself. Was he ...angry?

“Gwen,” David sounded more serious than she had ever heard before. “Max was covered neck-down in bruises, scars, and burn marks. He was being abused.”

Gwen’s mind reeled at the revelation, the reason behind Max’s constant attire in the dead of summer suddenly making perfect sense. “Fucking hell….”

_Max, why didn’t you say anything? Why did you suffer in silence?_

\------------------------------------------------

_Warm….so warm…._

Max’s mind drifted towards the warmth, he was too cold to resist. Was he sick again? There was a comforting hand running through his hair. He leaned into the touch, sighing.

_Mom…._

Max was sick often as a child, constantly out of school, though he never usually was suffering from illness. Usually, he was recovering from Dad’s latest tantrum. Later on, his father would stuff him into a sweatshirt and tell him to walk it off.

_Mom how did you convince Dad to let me stay home? Was he in a better mood today? Mom…._

Max’s mind was at peace, he wished he could stay like this forever, protected by his mother. The fingers methodically ran through his dark curls, detangling every knot in their path effortlessly. His mother began humming a soothing song.

_Wait. That’s not my mom’s voice. Who?_

His blood ran cold and he stiffened, suddenly frightened. Right, of course it’s not Mom, that’s impossible. Max began to squirm under the stranger’s touch, who had ceased his humming and was frantically trying to soothe him.

“Shh ...Max...it’s alright kiddo, you’re safe. No one is going to hurt you...ever again. I promise.”

_David? Why is David here? I thought I was at home…_

Max grew more confused and his squirming turned to thrashing, but to no avail, he was being pinned down by something. His breath grew panicked and his heart beat faster. He didn’t like tight spaces, they reminded him of the pantry. He couldn’t get free, he began to cry pathetically.

“Woah! Easy kid...it’s okay hold on, ill untangle you...just calm down Max.”

He felt strong hands unwrap the binds from him and he calmed. His mind settled again. He began to feel his body again, and wished he couldn’t. He felt like shit. What the hell happened? His eyes fluttered, but failed to open. He tried again, more forcefully. The blinding light of the room filled him with instant regret.

“Max?” David called out cautiously, not wanting to frighten him. “Are you awake?”

Max didn’t know, he’d rather not be to be honest, but he wanted to know what was going on. He tried opening his eyes again, more carefully. The room around him was blurry and still bright, but not as blinding as before. He looked towards a blurry pale blob with red hair. _David._

His vision slowly began to clear, and he took in the rustic scenery of his surroundings. He was on the floor next to a warm fireplace. To his right, was an old faded green couch with a few mismatched pillows and random throw blankets. Next to it, an ugly red patchwork chair. Multiple accessories adorned the small living room, he shifted towards his left. The living room was cut off by a half wall with another couch leaning against it, that led into a small, but practical kitchen. From what he could see he noticed, a round table with a few wooden chairs that sat next to a hallway. From his position he saw a coat rack and a small closet. A foyer perhaps? Looking back to his right, he noticed a door ajar, leading into a bathroom. Looking straight ahead, past David’s giant head, that was staring at him curiously, slightly worried, he noticed two doors. Maybe leading to bedrooms? In between those doors on the wall, was the ugliest fucking clock he had ever laid eyes on.

Max turned his attention back to David, who was now looking at him with a full-blown worried expression. Max cleared his throat and asked in a raspy voice,

“Where the fuck am I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! Let me know any errors in the chapter you found and let me know if I should continue this!
> 
> The song Max listens to on the bus is Ghosts by Banners


	2. The One Where Max Falls on his Face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! Wooo! I'm having so much fun writing this. Anyways here's Ch. 2!

Max was fucking confused to be blunt. His brain, still foggy from just waking up, He harshly asked David how the hell he ended up in his house. David only looked at him, a knowing expression plastered his face, and then it hit him. He remembered the multiple buses, the half-assed plan, his hastily packed Adidas bag, and forgetting his motherfucking underwear.

“Oh.” Max stared down at the wood panelled flooring. Memorizing every grain and imperfection that lined David’s flooring. He gulped and looked back up, expecting fury, expecting to be yelled at, fully prepared for David to plant his ass back on a bus headed straight home. 

To his surprise, he found no sign of rejection in David’s expression, only worry. Max’s eyebrows furrowed, confused.

“Max, how are you feeling? Anything hurting in particular? Can you feel your feet?”

“My feet?” Max experimentally attempted to wiggle his toes, but only managed to slightly wiggle both his big toes. He winced at the pins and needles jabbing his feet, “Kind of...there is not much circulation…”

David shifted from standing on the balls of his feet, to sitting criss-cross on the floor, “They're frostbitten, so it might take a while for them to warm up, try not to move them too much, okay?”

“Okay ...wait what happened exactly? The last thing I remember was walking through the snow.” 

David looked him up and down scanning for any unchecked injuries, then looked him in the eye, "Well, I was taking out the trash when I spotted you lying face down in the snow. You were ice cold and hypothermia had already set in. I... put you into dry clothes." 

Max would've have gone red if he wasn't still so cold. He merely swallowed an let him continue.

"Of c-course I minded your privacy Max, I promise! Um...then I wrapped you up in my comforter and brought you by the fire. I had to do some first aid on your toes. They were a bit frostbitten."

Max sat quietly for a moment, processing everything that had gone wrong in the span of one evening. He brought his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes.

"Max...I know why you ran."

"You don't know shit, David." Max murmured half-heartedly, "But thanks I guess, for not letting me freeze to death."

"You're welcome kid," David paused, unsure how to word his next question. "Max...why didn't you call me? I could've helped you sooner. That was the whole reason I gave you my phone number."

Max stared blankly at the uninteresting ceiling for a moment, then turned to look at David, "My dad broke my phone not long after camp ended."

"...but I wrote it down in your notebook like Nikki and Neil did."

"What are you? Some kind of detective? I was scared! I thought it would be easier if I just...ya know...dropped by?"

David gave him a unconvinced look then sighed, "Max. You could've died tonight. Alone in the cold. No one would have ever known what happened to you. What were you thinking?"

"I just...had to...get away from him." Max sniffled, his voice breaking. He quickly wiped his nose. 

"Max...I'm so sorry." David was pitying him, Max could feel it and it pissed him off.

"What do you know? It's not like you...or anyone really cares! I mean…" Max trailed off, looking at David's concern. "Don't fucking pity me! I don't wanna hear it!" Max grabbed the comforter pulling it over his head, turning away from David and his judgement.

"Of course I care about you Max. It's not pity. It's guilt. I couldn't help you Max, and I'm so sorry. But I can help you now." Max heard David pause, "And you're wrong, lots of people care. Did you know that Nikki and Neil have been calling Gwen for months about you? They're worried sick and so is Gwen. We all care."

It was too much, tears were freely streaming down Max's face from under the warm blanket. Maybe it was his pride that kept him from responding. 

Max heard David sigh from the other side.

"Get some rest Max. I'll be over here on the couch if you need me. We can talk more when you wake up."

Max heard David shuffle up from the floor. The old springs on the couch cried out from the new weight occupying it. A few minutes passed and David's soft snoring filled the room. Max sighed.

_ What the fuck have I gotten myself into? There's no way he'll keep me now. He will ship me off back to my father first chance he gets. I need to go. _

Max soon realized his predicament, he was in no shape to move around, his joints were stiff and painful. Though he wasn't nearly as cold as before, the thought of leaving the warm fire did not sound appealing.

_ Fuck it. I'll stay one weekend and then I'm gone. He'll at least keep me that long out of pity. But David said it wasn't...pity. Does he actually care? _

** _NO! Don't be a FOOL. You're worthless, nothing but a burden on everyone you know_ ** _ . _

Max's breath grew shaky. The cruel voice of his father flooding his head, tearing down what little hope he had, burning it down until there was nothing but ash. Max could feel the panic starting to set in, the hateful thoughts swirling around in his head, looping endlessly. He felt his chest was close to bursting. He wanted to scream, he wanted to d-"

David shifted, mumbling nonsense in his sleep. 

_ Is he? Naming trees in his sleep? _

A bubble of hysteria welled up in Max’s throat nearly bursting from his lips, but was stifled at the last second. His heart rate slowed and he pushed the cruel thoughts from his mind for now, letting himself be lulled to sleep by the warm fire next to him, maybe they would keep the demons at bay.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Gwen tripled checked all her luggage for the eighth time that morning, her flight left at nine. She was not going to forget anything! Her last minute flight from North Carolina to Maine had completely drained her bank account. But she could care less. Max and David needed her right now and nothing was going to stop her. She made sure to grab her winter coat and accessories, before running outside to the Uber awaiting her.

_ Don’t worry boys, Gwen is on the way. Hang tight. _

_ \-------------------------------------------------------------------_

Max awoke to his stomach growling ferociously, the smell emanating from the kitchen was mouth-watering.

_ Pancakes… _

Max quietly sat up, trying as hard as he could not to disturb the whistling man in the kitchen. He pushed his hunger aside to focus on a new, much more pressing matter. He knew he wasn’t supposed to be walking right now, but he really had to fucking pee. Like NOW. 

Max leaned to the cedar coffee table on his left and used it to slowly pull himself to his feet. He was surprised. He didn’t feel too much pain, actually he couldn’t really feel anything in his feet. It was the equivalent feeling of sleep on your arm all night and waking up to a dead fish for a hand. Despite the odd feeling, he was up and shakily standing. He took a deep breath and bravely took a step towards the bathroom, releasing the coffee table. 

To which he promptly fell flat on his face, landing in a mountain of blankets.

“OOF...ugh” Max groaned. Mission failed, let's try crawling instead. Thankfully, David had failed to hear his struggle, so he still had a chance to make it to the bathroom without assistance. Which he totally didn’t need!

He positioned his floppy fish legs into a kneeling position and began slowly crawling towards the bathroom,

eventually he resembled a soldier climbing under barbed wire, because his legs were fucking useless. 

_ This is fucking exhausting. _

He really did _ not _ want to ask David to help him take a leak like a ninety-five year old senior, but he also did not want to piss himself like a two year old. He opted to keep trying for the door, alone. 

By the time he’d made it to the bathroom, in which _ thankfully _ the door was open, he was sweating and panting, his face flushed. He quickly shuffled his way through the door. Once inside the bathroom, he kicked the door closed and leaned against the bathtub. His head leaned back, trying to catch his breath.

_ Okay, now the fun part. _

_ \-------------------------------------------------------------------_

_ Now we flip the pancakes and add more cinnamon. Mmmm...Max is going to love these. I should probably check to make sure I still have some whipped cream in the fridge. _

David moved from the stove to the fridge, scavenging for the lost whipped cream. He smiled as he found the can, which was miraculously not expired! David closed the fridge door and leaned far to the left, where he had a perfect view of a sleeping Max...who was not sleeping and also nowhere in sight.

_ Crap. _

He quickly turned the stove off and raced around the half wall to the living room. Max was nowhere to be found in the cocoon of blankets he’d slept in all night. He quickly did a recount of every possible place he could be. He couldn’t have gone out the front door, he’s too short to reach the deadbolt. All the windows are locked and he could not possibly have crawled out in his condition. Maybe the vents? No. It’s not like he just vanished into thin-

The toilet flushed from inside the bathroom. David’s heart started beating again and he thanked whatever being he had to, because Max had not run away, he was just an _idiot_.

David took a seat in his recliner, posing authoritatively while waiting for Max to finish his business. No one emerged. He sat there for a few minutes, contemplating on knocking, when he heard a loud thud followed by a small groan. 

“Max?!” He raced to the door, but didn’t open, just in case he wasn’t dressed.

“I’m fine! I’m fine. My legs are just fucking worthless”

David sighed in relief, for what felt like the eightieth time in the past 24 hours, “Is it okay to come in?”

He paused waiting for a response, a muffled yes echoed from the other side of the door. He pulled the door open and looked down, finding Max sprawled across his bathroom rug. He squatted down to a more Max-friendly height, ruffling his hair, “Cozy down there?” he teased.

“Fucking dandy, help me up you twat.”

David chuckled, scooping the boy into his arms with ease. Max wrapped his arms around David’s shoulders, but only because his legs were dangling weightlessly. “You hungry?” David asked. Max responded with a quick nod and nothing more.

David sat Max down in one of the kitchen chairs, a moved to the cabinets that hung over the stove, extending to the fridge. He grabbed two plates and loaded them both with cinnamon pancakes. Balancing both plates with one hand, he grabbed the whipped cream from the fridge then sat down at the table. He gently set Max’s plate in front of him. Max’s stared longingly at his plate and David heard his stomach growling ravenously.

“What’cha waiting for kiddo? Dig in!”

Max looked at him nervously, the normal Max was gone. A timid boy with scared eyes took his place, “A-Aren’t you going to eat your food first?” David stomach dropped and his heart broke a bit, but he replied calmly, “Of course not Max, we eat together. That’s how it should be and that’s how it will always be. Okay?”

Max looked down at the floor for a moment, then met David’s eyes. In a small voice, that had no place in Max's body said, “Okay, David.” Max lifted his fork, taking a small bite of his stack of pancakes. His eyes went wide, and he was back. He began to inhale half the stack of pancakes, “Holy shit David, you can fucking cook! Why did you have Quartermaster in the kitchen all summer?” 

“Hey! Quartermaster is an excellent chef, Max. Anyways, Quartermaster would rather chop his other hand off before letting me touch his stove.”

“That’s fair.”

David then realized that while he’d been talking, Max had devoured the rest of his food, and was eyeing his hungrily. He pushed his plate towards the boy who gave a tiny smile, “Max when was the last time you ate? I’ve never seen you eat so quickly.”

David watched as the wheels turned in Max's head, growing slightly more concerned with each second. “Uh...I think I had half a granola bar on the third bus up here.”

“Max!”

“What?”

David straightened and without much thought he blurted the question that had been plaguing him, “How did you manage to get from New York to Maine?”

“A shit ton of buses” Max stared at David’s half eaten plate, picking at it with his fork. “Max…” David warned.

Max sighed, “Um, I stole some money from my Dad, packed as quickly as I could, and hopped out the window, two nights ago? I left right after he went to work. It was the weekend, so I knew he would be gone all day. I slept under a bridge for most of the day, wanting to travel by night. That way no one would recognize me. I found the first bus stop I could and told them I was going to Augusta, Maine. It was a lot of bus transfers, so it took fucking forever. I uh...forgot to check the weather before I left, heh.”

Max slumped down in his seat, eyeing the floor again. David folded his hands together and brought them to his face, elbows on the table. He was thinking. “Of course we won’t do anything until your walking around again. First and foremost, we need to get you some clothes and necessities, but Max." He put his hands down, staring at him seriously, "You realize we need to go to the police? You’re a runaway. I can’t just allow you to stay here without telling anyone.”

Max’s eyes widened as he began panicking, he grabbed David sleeve, tightly balling the cloth into his small fists, “No...no! Don’t tell the cops! You can't! They’ll take me back...I don’t want to go back. Please David! I had a plan, I have money David! I wasn’t just going to dump myself on you. I’ll find a job and I…I...” Max trailed off, tears welled up in his eyes. David got up from his chair and kneeled next to Max. He lifted up one of his hands to Max's face and gently tilted Max’s chin up, so they were eye to eye. 

“Max, I promise you that no one will _ ever _ hurt you again, do you believe me?” Max didn’t move, but he couldn’t blame the kid for having trust issues. “I want to foster you Max, I want you to stay here with me. You are not going to pay me a cent, so forget about the darn money. I’m not doing this because I feel obligated to do so, I’m doing this because _ I want to. _” 

The tears welled up in Max’s eyes were streaming down his face, he stammered out in a broken voice, “I don’t know what to say…”

“How about...hot chocolate?”

Max giggled softly, wiping the tears away from his stained cheeks, “Yeah, hot chocolate sounds great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max has some emotional issues. We're working on them. Mama Gwen is on the way my dudes.


	3. The Boys Receive an Unexpected Visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments have been my fuel for this chapter.

Twenty minutes after Max had gorged himself with hot chocolate, he was passed out on the couch. David merely chuckled and laid his comforter atop the sleeping boy. He reached over to grab his laptop out from under the coffee table and spent the next four hours, looking up anything and _ everything _ he could on emergency foster care.

He hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep, it was early evening when his doorbell rang. His heart stopped and his blood ran cold. 

_ Oh crap. Oh crap, crap, crapcrapcrap. It has to be the cops, his dad must have put the pieces together. They’ll take him away, I can’t protect him if I’m locked up. This is bad. _

He pulled himself together, and quietly got up from the couch, looking back at Max.

_ He looks so...peaceful. Right, I can do this. I’ll just explain what happened. They have to believe me! I have Max to vouch for me. _

He made his way to the foyer and nervously opened the front door, suddenly a blur of red hair and olive skin launched into his arms, David yelped in surprise.

“G-Gwen?”

Gwen squeezed him a moment longer before pulling back, to look at him, “I’m here, David.”

David choked on his words, tears welling up in his eyes as he pulled the girl back into his arms, swinging her around in his arms for good measure. He set her down and breathed a sigh of pure relief into her shoulder, 

“Thank _god._”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“So how long has he been out?” Gwen played with the piece of plastic that was hanging out of her teacup. She and David were sitting on the couch, looking over at a peacefully sleeping Max. 

“Ah. He woke up last night, then went to bed. I found him trying to walk around this morning. We discussed some of the things we’d _ have _ to do, like report him to the police. He didn’t handle it well.”

“I wouldn't imagine he'd handle authority well. He must be exhausted from the past two days. I can’t imagine how he pulled it off. How on earth did a ten-year-old boy hop three states and avoid the police or any authority really?”

David looked down at his mug, and lifted his hands to his face, “No idea. But something else is really bothering me. He's acting in a manner I've never seen. He'll go from his normal self to this submissive and terrified child. His father messed him up bad. I’ve never seen him so scared. He’s even scared of me sometimes. I don’t know what to do Gwen.” 

Gwen placed her tea down on the coffee table and moved to face David, sitting on the floor. She took his hands away from his face and held them firmly in her own, “David, you care about Max. You were able to get through that cynical and cold barrier of his when no one else could, not even Nikki and Neil managed to pull that off. I know you don’t like to play favorites with the campers we get, but we all know Max is your favorite. I think the feeling is mutual on Max’s end. He came to you for a _ reason. _ He trusts you. And for a kid like him, trust is a hard thing to earn. That’s why I _ know _ you can do this. You can get custody of Max and you _ will _. And I’ll be right here with you, kicking your ass back into the fight whenever you fall, okay?”

David was dumbfounded over Gwen’s unusual confession of emotion. He was so lucky to have a friend like her. He was ever so grateful to-

“Are you two going to make out, cause if you are please shoot me first.”

Max was sitting up on the couch, looking a bit nauseous. Gwen hurled a pillow directly into his face. She ran over to Max, hugging him tightly, while he fought against her affections. “I come _ all _ this way for _ you! _ And _ that’s _ how you greet me, you little shit?!” Hugging morphed into Gwen tickling him relentlessly, which had Max laughing and spasming uncontrollably in Gwen’s tight grip. “G-Gwen! sT-Top! iM-hh soRRY!!!” 

With that, Gwen released Max, who slumped upside over the couch, head hitting the floor softly. He crossed his arms, pouting. His ridiculous position had both Gwen and David snorting with laughter. Max glowered at them, “You two fucking suck.” 

“Are you stuck?” David asked. Max’s face went red and in a tiny voice he mumbled,

“...maybe.”

David walked over and carefully lifted the boy, sitting him upright on the couch facing the television above the fireplace. He took a seat next to the boy, who was still pouting. He ruffled his hair and asked,

“How are you feeling, bud? Are you mobile again?”

Max looked down at his feet, wiggling them back and forth experimentally. “I dunno, they feel a lot better than they did this morning.” 

“Wanna try walking?”

“OH! I’ll get the camera! Max’s first steps. I’m so proud.” Gwen pretended to wipe a tear from her eye. Max merely shook his head, rolling his eyes, “Fuck it. Let’s try walking.”

David stood up from the couch and extended his hands out for Max to hold on to. Max took one, then the other, and David pulled him to his feet. He wobbled for a moment, but David’s steady hold kept him upright. He looked over at Gwen who was kneeling on the floor, phone out, filming him. 

“Gwen! What the fuck?!”

“Come on Max! You got this!”

Max deadpanned, then flipped off the camera. “You have a couple of screws loose in that head of yours Gwen.”

He paused then spat out, “This better stay off your Snapchat, Gwen. Otherwise, I’ll shave you bald in your sleep.” 

“Yeah yeah, start walking munchkin.” she waved off his threat dismissively. 

Max looked at David who removed one hand from him. Holding him steady with one hand atop his shoulder. Max took one shaky step forward and was relieved when his knees didn’t immediately buckle underneath him. David removed his other hand.

He no longer felt as steady without David holding him together.

Max wobbled for a moment and took a few shaky steps towards Gwen, who had her arms outstretched, ready to catch him. 

_ Holy fuck this is exhausting. _

Sweat was beginning to form on his skin and he felt his legs beginning to give out. Using his remaining strength, he took one large step and collapsed into Gwen’s arms. Gwen ran a hand through his tangled curls and whispered softly, 

“Good job, Max. I’m proud of you.”

Max heard David plop down next to him. He patted Max softly on the back and whispered in the same tone as Gwen, “You did awesome bud, you’ll be wreaking havoc throughout this house in no time.” 

Max smiled, his exhaustion slowly taking hold of him, he fell asleep, safe in Gwen's arms, with only one thought echoing throughout his mind.

_Safe._

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“So in order to foster Max, I'll have to take at least four to ten classes on fostering. Um, but some of them can be dropped because I already have the training as a camp counselor. In regards, to medical training and dealing with problematic children…”

David and Gwen sat on the couch in the living room, the clock read 2 am. Max was sound asleep in David’s room, and both of them had consumed several cups of coffee.

Gwen smirked, “You’ve got this David, tomorrow all of us will walk into that station and walk right out with Max in tow.”

David sighed, dropping a thick stack of the documents he’d printed and filled out online on the coffee table, he leaned his head back on the couch. He looked over at Gwen,

“I just can’t help but be worried that something might go wrong and we lose him forever.”

Gwen pulled her knees underneath her and faced David, “Stop.” David blinked, confused. “But-”

“No _ stop _ . You’ve done all you can for now. Whatever happens tomorrow, you’ll know you did everything you could possibly do. Focus on something else. _ Anything _ else. Where’s Max going to sleep after we bring him home?”

David smiled at her, “I wish I had your optimism.”

“That’s rich coming from you, David. Seriously though, Max can’t sleep out here in the living room.”

David eyed the second bedroom he used for storage. “Hmm...I was thinking of getting a storage compartment for all the junk in that room, I think there’s an old bed frame in there. I can fix it up and use it for Max’s bed. You can help us go shopping for furniture. And by shopping, I mean thrifting as much as possible.”

“Pff...you are looking at the Queen of Goodwill, my friend. This will be easy.” Gwen made a show of extending her arms to crack her knuckles. David rolled his head over to look at her, “Thank heavens for that, otherwise, Max would have nothing but a camp cot and a pylon in his room.”

Gwen burst out laughing and David frantically shushed her, “Max is sleeping!”

“S-Sorry you just make no goddamn sense sometimes.” Gwen was holding her stomach, choking on laughter.

David couldn’t help but notice how pretty his best friend was when she laughed, her olive skin would turn a lovely pink and her violet eyes would sparkle, it made him so happy. He gathered his courage and was about to voice the thought when a scream echoed from David’s room. 

Max.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

_ He didn’t dare make a sound. He was going to find him. He was so dead. _

_ Max scooted to the back of the small coat closet, to the darkest corner. Max hated tight spaces, but he hated his father more. He pulled a few coats that had fallen off the rack and covered himself with them. Then he was silent. _

_ Loud, angry footsteps echoed throughout the hall, getting closer and closer. A voice pierced through the silence, making Max’s blood run cold. _

** _Max. Stop hiding you fucking brat. I swear, I will beat your scrawny ass to a pulp when I find you. _ **

_ Max covered his mouth with his hands, his eyes wide and frightened. The footsteps drew closer. He could feel his father's rage with every step. _

** _How dare you behave that way at dinner. I will not stand for such insolence in this house Max. _ **

_ The footsteps stopped right in front of the closet. Max didn’t dare to breathe. His heart was racing, beating out of his chest. _

** _Your mother was right to leave us you know? What kind of parent would be proud of such a disappointment, such a pathetic and disgraceful excuse of a son? You’re nothing Max. A failure to the Thakur household. _ **

_ Max was silently sobbing in the closet, terrified of his father’s rage. There was no one to save him. He could only hope his father didn’t find him. _

** _Oh, Max. Do you think I'm an idiot? I know you’re in the coat closet._ **

_ The door ripped opened and his father grabbed him. Max screamed. _

“_ Max... _MAX! Wake up!”

Max jolted forward, caught by a warm pair of arms. His face was dripping with sweat and tears, his heart was pounding. He refused to open his eyes out of fear, fear that his father might still be there. So instead, he began to thrash violently, fighting to break free.

_ No...no! Let me go! Leave me alone! Don’t hurt me! I’m sorry Father! I’ll be good, I promise! _

_ “ _Max it’s okay! It’s just a nightmare! Open your eyes bud. Gwen and I are right here. No one's gonna hurt you, Max. I promised you, remember? ”

Max stilled. Recognizing the warm voice_ , David. _ Slowly, he allowed his eyes to pry themselves open. David and Gwen were in front of him, David was on the floor, one hand on his face, wiping away his tears. The other was on his shoulder. Gwen was on the bed next to Max. They both looked at him with frightened and worried expressions. 

Max looked back at David who gently shushing him. Max could be embarrassed about it later, but for right now he didn't give a shit. He launched himself into David's arms, clinging to his shirt, sobbing. David picked him up in his arms and sat next to Gwen on the bed and let the boy cry into his chest. Gwen curled up against the two and began running her long fingers through his hair in a soothing motion. 

The three of them sat there for a long time, consoling Max, letting him cry the most he had in years. Max trusted that David and Gwen would never judge him for being weak. So that's why he let the two hold him together while he shattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I felt it would be more impactful to end the chapter where I did.


	4. The Police Station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, this chapter was a pain in the ass to write, but I think I did well in making everything as close to accuracy as possible. 
> 
> Though this chapter in no way attests to the struggles that come with adopting or fostering a child, I tried my very best to follow standard procedures for cases like Max's. 
> 
> In truth though, it is usually a lot harder and takes time, but for the plot's sake, I had to be lenient.

Breakfast the next morning was silent, and a bit awkward. Max was embarrassed for vomiting his emotions all over Gwen and David the night before. But, there was also the other big event of the day.

_Going to the police station._ Max shuddered.

Max picked at his scrambled eggs with his fork, unamused. David and Gwen looked at each other nervously, they had long since finished their bacon and eggs and were waiting on Max, who was very clearly stalling for time.

“Max…” David began.

“I’m not fucking done!” 

Gwen sighed, “Max you’ve been ‘not done’ for twenty fucking minutes. I know you're scared, but we have to get this over with.” 

Max shoved his plate forward, nearly knocking it off the table, he grumbled, “Fine…” Max hopped out of the seat, wobbling slightly. Once steady, he began stomping his feet loudly for effect and went searching for the biggest hoodie he possessed. 

David and Gwen both sighed exasperatedly. David moved to gather up each plate, he scrapped Max’s uneaten eggs into the trash and placed the dishes in the sink.

_ Max and I can do them later when we get back. _

David had been filling his head with things Max and he could do together after the police station all morning, it was the only thing keeping him together right now. 

He went to the coat closet in the foyer to look for the smallest jacket he owned, he grabbed a pair of gloves and a hat big enough for Max’s head. He then grabbed his own winter gear and put in on. Gwen arrived in the foyer a moment later, bundled up warmly for the freezing Maine weather. 

“Max! Come on kid, we gotta go!” He heard loud stomping echoing from the kitchen, as Max appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a dark grey sweatshirt that nearly went down to his knees, he had his hood pulled over his head, hiding his face from sight. David chuckled softly at the adorable sight. He handed Max the jacket, who reluctantly put it on over his sweatshirt, he seemed to have learned his lesson about dressing appropriately for the cold. David held the old beanie in his hands, and Max pulled back his hood for him. David carefully captured Max’s curls in the cap, though he left a few sticking out at the front. He then grabbed Max’s hood and pulled it back over his head. Max grabbed the gloves out of his hand and hastily put them on. He huffed and stared at the door. 

<https://emiartse.tumblr.com/post/188115496581/max>

David felt like he should say something, but honestly, he was scared to jinx the hope in his chest that everything might turn out alright.

David opened the door and they all headed out into the snow.

\----------------------------------------------------------

Max opted to be silent the whole car ride, he leaned his head against the window counting the cars that drove by. The drive to the police station was tense, no one spoke a word, but all three of them were terrified.

Fifteen minutes went by way too quickly, and before he knew it, David was pulling into an empty parking space and unbuckling. It was then that Max began to panic. His palms became sweaty and he was trembling in the back seat, his breath exiting his mouth in short, choked gasps. 

David noticed and frantically opened the back door, scooping up the hyperventilating boy in his arms, holding him tightly against him. David began murmuring to him in a hushed tone, 

“Shh...shhh...Max, it’s gonna be alright. Everything is going to be okay. You can do this. We can do this. Calm down, buddy.”

Max couldn’t calm down, the soothing words from David couldn’t make a dent in the panic overflooding Max’s whole body. David turned to Gwen, “Gwen, can you go let them know that we’re here? I think it would help to just rip that bandage off now.” Gwen nodded solemnly and began walking to the station. Meanwhile, Max was shaking violently and his heart was beating rapidly. David leaned against his car, and just stood there, holding Max. 

A good fifteen minutes passed before Max’s heart rate had slowed, and his breathing had steadied. He looked down at Max, who was staring at nothing, his face blank. David gently ran his fingers through his hair and asked, “Is it okay to take you inside now?”

Max nodded, burying his face in his chest. He gently shifted the boy in his arms, so that Max could wrap his arms around his neck, then they walked into the station.

\----------------------------------------------------------

The inside of the police station was much warmer than the cold parking lot. Gwen was up at the front desk talking to some woman who looked like she’d rather be doing anything else than dealing with her job.

David sat in one of the empty chairs by the front office. Max was still tightly latched onto him as if, he feared being ripped away at any moment. Gwen threw her hands up in exasperation and plopped down in the seat next to him.

“What did she say?” Max shifted slightly in David’s arms turning to look at Gwen.

“The social worker is on her way, maybe this whole mess can be sorted out and we can take him home.”

“Did she say anything about returning Max to his father?”

David felt Max stiffen in his arms, he gently rubbed his back in an attempt to soothe the boy.

“The asshole never even filed a report on Max being missing, the social worker will be sure to make note of that in the case against him.”

At that statement, Max bolted upright, eyes wide. “Wait, he never told the cops I was gone? Are you serious?”

“Nope the fucker never said a word, your science teacher was the one that reported you missing when you didn’t show up for class, and no one could find you on the campus. They called your dad and no one picked, apparently, that same teacher even went to your house because they were worried. Are you upset about that Max?”

“Fuck no, in some ways I'm glad he wouldn't have bothered looking for me. I can’t believe Ms. Angiola reported me, I guess she really did care. Huh" Max's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he continued, "Anyway my dad is loaded, it would be hard to try him in court for any type of child abuse. Even when it’s super obvious.”

Everyone fell silent after that statement, the harsh reality of Max’s crappy childhood was weighing down on each of their conscience. Then, the front door of the station swung open and a petite, but authoritative-looking woman walked into the room. She had long brown hair that was wrapped into a tight bun, but she had kind hazel eyes. She was dressed in a dark pantsuit, her high heels clicking loudly across the floor. She walked up to David, extending her hand out in a polite manner,

“Hello, Mr. Alder and Ms. Rivera, my name is Dr. Rachelle Hopper. I’m the social worker that has been assigned to Max’s case. In normal circumstances, I would usually prefer to speak to Max alone, but something tells me that it might be a bit difficult right now to discuss anything." She eyed Max thoughtfully as he clung to David's shirt then continued, "In these certain situations, I usually try to interview the potential foster parent separately and then I begin interviewing the child with an adult the child trusts."

Dr. Hopper squatted down to Max’s level, who was still clinging to David. She gave Max a sweet smile and in a gentle tone, she asked, “Max, is it alright if I take Mr. Alder into the other room? You and Ms. Rivera can stay right here, together.”

Max looked suspiciously at the woman, “You’ll bring him back, right? David didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t be going anywhere without either of them, so don’t try that shit on me!”

The woman merely chuckled, “Of course Max, I promise. No tricks. But at some point, I will have to speak to you alone, I can allow one of them to stay in the room for a few minutes, but it is very important that the social worker talks to the child without any other authoritative figures present. I promise you, Max, during that time you will be one-hundred percent safe and both Mr. Alder and Ms. Rivera will be waiting for you right here.”

Max stared at the woman one last time, looking for any signs of untruthfulness in her expression, he found none that he could see so he hopped into the empty chair next to Gwen.

Dr. Hopper straightened herself back up, patting down any wrinkles she found in her expensive-looking suit. She turned to David, “Mr. Alder, if you would please follow me?”

“Of course ma’am.”

As they began their short journey to the room at the end of the hallway, David turned his head to look at Gwen who gave him a thumbs up and a wobbly smile.

_ Right, here goes nothing! _

David walked into the darkroom and the door shut behind him. The room was bare, with a table in the center of the room, a chair was on either side.

_ It definitely looks like an interrogation room. _

“Mr. Alder, if you could please have a seat so we can get started?”

“O-oh um of course!” David moved to the other end of the room, sitting in the chair opposite of the only exit in the room. His palms were beginning to sweat and his leg was bouncing uncontrollably.

“Take a deep breath, Mr. Alder, you have not done anything to get on my bad side, in fact, you’ve already shown more determination and responsibility to care for that boy than I see in most cases.”

David followed her advice and took a deep inhale through his nose and exhaled out his mouth, some of his tension dissipating. 

“No need to be so formal Dr. Hopper, David is fine. Not even my students call me Mr. Alder.”

“Very well, David. Let me make something very clear to you first off.”

David gulped.

“I only want what is best for Max, as I do for all the children I’m assigned. I do not want to put Max into foster care, that is almost always my last resort for children like Max. I definitely do not want to send him back to his parents, since he ran away for a reason. In these situations, we find it best that the child in question lives with someone they're familiar with. We are still trying to contact Mr. Thakur, but we have had no response, which leads me to believe that he does not give a damn about that little boy. Many social workers do not care what happens to the kids they work with. I assure you, David. I am not one of those people. Do you understand?”

David internally sighed in pure relief and a rush of adrenaline flowed through him. He straightened up in his chair and replied with newfound confidence, “Yes ma’am”

“Alright then, tell me _ exactly _ how Max got to your house.”

\----------------------------------------------------------

Three hours later, David and Dr. Hopper exited the room, David's face was neutral. Max couldn’t tell what went on in that room and it irritated him. Gwen had fallen asleep thirty minutes after they had left. Max couldn’t sleep, he was far too nervous. He needed to know what was happening and _now_. It was driving him up the wall.

“Max? It’s your turn now. Do you want to take Ms. Rivera in with you or no?”

Max looked at Gwen, who was slightly drooling as she lay against the arm of the chair. He decided to let her sleep. He’d been far too emotional and pathetic since he woke up in David’s living room. He could do this on his own. He didn’t need anyone’s help. He hopped out of the chair and walked into the room, without sparing David a glance.

"Alright Max, have a seat and we can get started."

Max moved to the chair closest to the door, and the woman sat across from him. Max placed his elbow on the table and laid his head atop his hand, making it seem like he was bored.

Dr. Hopper saw right through his act and didn't react the way Max had hoped. She grabbed all the papers cluttering the table and arranged them into a neat pile in one fell swoop. She cleared her throat and began,

"Alright Max, I have gotten all the information I need about David, but now it is your turn. I am going to ask you a few questions about your previous home life. It may be stress-inducing and you do not have to tell me anything you do not want me to know. But the more information we have, the better off you will be. Afterward, I am going to ask you one simple yes or no question. This question is very important so you cannot say maybe or I don't know. It has to be a definitive answer. Do you understand, Max?"

"Was that the question?"

She chuckled softly, "No Max, I will tell you beforehand when I am going to ask you the question."

"Ok, I understand then."

“Okay Max, can you tell me your full name? And birthdate?”

“My full name is Maxwell Thakur, and I was born on January 11, 2006.”

She nodded, jotting the information down on her clipboard. “Where did you go to school, Max? Did you enjoy it?”

Max shrugged, “I went to Reikfield Charter School, it was school and school sucks. I didn’t really care for many of my classes.”

“Your teacher, Ms. Isabella Angiola, was the one who reported you missing, did you get along with her?”

“She was the only teacher who never gave up on me, she always made sure I was learning the material.”

“She sounds like a wonderful teacher.”

Max laughed softly, “Yeah, she was cool.”

“Max, at home did you have a bed to sleep in? Was there always electricity in the house?”

“Yeah my dad has the money, so I had a room of my own and stuff.”

“Did you always get to eat?”

Max paused and took a deep breath, “No. When I was bad he wouldn’t let me.”

"Max, why did you run away from home? Was your father abusing you? Or was it some other factor?"

Max shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Suddenly wishing he were anywhere else.

"It is okay, Max. Take your time."

He didn't need to think long, he just had to find the courage to voice his thoughts.

"H-he...he was abusive. Physically and emotionally. I left because...because I couldn't stand another minute of being in that house. He would get drunk...a lot. He would blame me for things I didn't do, then as I got older it was for things that I'd done."

Dr. Hopper was scribbling down notes on her clipboard, she paused looking at him.

"David confirmed that he was abusive towards you and he found signs of it on you. Is it okay if I can confirm this for myself? It would be very good evidence to have against your father, Max."

Max rolled up his sleeve instantly. There were multiple old burn scars lining his forearm. Dr. Hopper reached over, gently taking hold of his arm to exam the cigarette burn marks. She swallowed.

"Is it okay if I photograph these Max?"

_ That's fucked up. But I need whatever leverage I can get. _

"Sure...I guess."

"I know, it sounds awful. I promise no one will see these photos except law officials okay?"

She took out a camera and started photographing his arm at multiple angles.

"There are more on my back and chest. Mostly scar wounds and more burn markings. Do you need those too?"

"No no. These are proof, they're old enough that they can't be anyone but your father's abuse. Unless there is someone else?"

"No, it was only him."

"Of course, your records were given to me earlier so I know, _ at that point,_ it was only you and your father in the house."

Max looked at his feet. He briefly lost himself in his mind for a moment.

“Max, were there ever any other methods of discipline he would use, besides physical?”

Max gulped, he could feel the panic set in, but she needed to know, “Whenever he was really mad, he would lock me in the empty pantry in the basement. I would usually be their for...awhile. One time, he left me in there for three days.”

At this point, Dr. Hopper looked like she was ready to murder someone. She coughed, quickly composing herself, wiping her face clean of emotion. She fiddled with her clipboard for a moment, scribbling down notes, then voiced her next question.

“How do you know David, Max?”

_ Finally, something easy. _

“He was my camp counselor this year, and the year before.”

Dr. Hopper put her clipboard down on the desk and placed her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together, “Max, are you ready for my important question?”

Max nodded.

“Do you _ trust _ David to keep you safe, to care for you, and to protect you at _ all _times.”

“I do.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

David had been signing document after document ever since Max had gone into the room with Rachelle. After giving his statement to Rachelle about Max’s escape and the abuse he’s seen, she discussed letting David act as a kinship foster parent temporarily, and then once he’d completed several courses and the house had been deemed fitting for Max to live in, and then he would officially become his foster dad. 

_ A foster dad at twenty-four. Huh. Life is pretty strange sometimes. _

All they were waiting on now, was the background check on David to come through and for Rachelle to give her approval once she finished interviewing Max.

Gwen was currently passed out on his shoulder. She had woken up not long after Max went into the room, together they had spent an hour working through the documents, but eventually, she fell asleep and slumped over onto his shoulder. _ Cute. _

David was crunching numbers in his brain when the door of the “interrogation” room opened. David’s held his breath. Dr. Hopper exited the room, _ without Max. _ He felt his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

Dr. Hopper's eyes flickered briefly to the sight of Gwen, then turned to David smiling, “The background check came through a moment ago, and Max confirmed your telling of the story. I'll need to finish up some paperwork and we need to enroll you for the foster care courses as soon as possible. But otherwise, I am very happy to inform you that Max is now your kinship foster child. Congratulations, David.”

David gaped at her, feeling as though the weight of the world had been lifted off his narrow chest, all his worries had been assuaged in just a single sentence. His sudden joy, however, woke Gwen who groggily asked, “Can we go get pizza now?”

Max suddenly bolted out of the room, a grin plastered across his face as he launched himself at Gwen and David. David held the boy solidly in one arm and he buried his face into his dark curls. Gwen, still half-asleep, just leaned against the boys, mumbling a slurred, “Yay!”

Dr. Hopper laughed softly, then reached for David’s stack of papers, going over the ones he’d finished signing, leaving the three to rejoice privately.

David wrapped his other arm around Gwen, who had already fallen back asleep. He merely chuckled softly, as he held his weird family together in his arms.

David had never felt so joyous and so thankful in his life. He turned his head upwards, his eyes staring at the ceiling, but his mind far away. He could see a future now, a world in which Max and he were a happy family.

Though it was far away right now, David felt he had come a little bit closer today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Most of the questions Dr. Hopper asks Max are actual questions REAL social workers ask children.
> 
> Okay, actual fun fact: The last name I chose for David is an actual tree native to Canada. The Green Alder Tree. I felt it was fitting lol. 
> 
> Also, shoutout to my best friend who inspired Rachelle Hopper. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I'll try to get the next one out soon, but I am a college student so bear with me.


	5. Gwen's Hulu Password Is Dick Cheese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ngl this chapter is nothing but fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter might be my favorite, it's also full of references to random things I love. ITS ALSO PURE TOOTH-ROTTING FLUFF. PREPARE FOR CAVITIES MOTHERFUCKERS

Gwen ended up having to be half-carried out of the police station once they were cleared to take Max home. David realized that Gwen had hardly slept since her arrival yesterday, and probably hadn’t slept the day before either. As they arrived back at the house, David gently shook Gwen’s shoulder in an attempt to stir her. She merely groaned, rolling away from the touch. 

David rolled his eyes, smiling, then scooped Gwen into his arms. Her head lolled for a moment before Gwen stirred enough to position her head into the crook of David’s neck. David could hear Max snickering behind him as he carried Gwen into the house.

“Hey, Max? Can you open the door to my room?”

“Yeah sure,” Max responded, opening the door then walking over to the couch. David weaved his body strategically through the dark room, being careful not to bump Gwen against anything. He laid Gwen down on his bed and gently pulled the covers over her. Gwen snored lightly and shifted to a more comfortable position on her side. David took that moment to carefully move a stray piece of hair that had fallen from her messy ponytail, out of her face. He quietly snuck out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

He walked into the living room and unceremoniously fell back on the couch, landing next to Max. The exhaustion of today’s events finally taking hold of him. For a long few minutes, the boys sat together in comfortable silence, just thinking about the chaos of the past few days and how it all seemed to work itself out so neatly. Max was safe, far out of his father’s grasp and David felt he had a newfound purpose in life; to care for this troublesome, clever, and amazing kid. To be the best foster father he could be to Max.

_ Well, first off, we should probably go get Max some necessities and clothes. We definitely need to buy him some new clothes. _

He turned to the boy, who was staring blankly at the ashes in the fireplace, a puzzled and thoughtful expression was plastered across Max’s face. David could never tell what was going through the kid’s mind, he was a closed book; one that rarely opened up to let someone read the dusty pages.

“Max?” The boy jumped, startled out of his daze and his eyes frantically searched for the source of the disturbance. He look to David and his posture relaxed. He gave David a fake smile and murmured, “Sorry…”

“No need to apologize, Max. How about you and I head to the store to get you some clothes and other stuff?”

Max pretended to think about it for a moment, then a mischevious look darted across his features, “And...food?”

David chuckled, “Sure kid, I’ll let you pick.”

\--------------------------------------------

About fifteen minutes later, Max and David were bundled up warmly and driving to the closest Walmart in the area.

Max fiddled with a loose string on his raggedy, oversized parka, tugging at it tentatively. He smiled darkly when the string broke off with little complaint. David was sluggishly flipping through channels on the old radio, he smiled softly when he found a station. And a familiar tune flooded the rusty, green pickup truck.

_ It’s a little bit funny this feeling inside _

_ I’m not one of those who can easily hide, _

_ I don't have much money, but boy if I did, _

_ I’d buy a big house where we both could live _

“Figures you would be an Elton John kind of dude, you like all that sappy shit.”

“You don’t like Elton John?”

Max paused, scratching the back of his neck nervously, “I didn’t say that.”

_ My gift is my song and _

_ This one’s for you _

_ And you can tell everybody this is your song _

_ It may be quite simple but now that it’s done _

David slowly began to sing along and Max laid his head back against the seat, humming the melody to himself.

_ I hope you don’t mind _

_ I hope you don’t mind _

_ That I put it down words _

** _How wonderful life is, while you’re in the world._ **

After the song ended, the two playfully fought over radio stations until they arrived at the store. David effortlessly backed into a parking spot and turned the car off. Together, they trudged carefully through the slippery parking lot. The snow from the past few days had turned to sleet, making the roads icy. The snow chains on David’s truck had kept them safe from skidding across the roads, regardless, David made sure to keep a steady hand on the wobbly boy as they walked into the store. 

Max watched as David grabbed a shopping cart and the two began searching for the boys' clothing section. Once found, David gave Max free reign of his clothing selections. Max was surprised, he was so familiar with being told what to wear, that he honestly had no clue what he needed to buy. He didn’t even know what jean size he wore. David was a big help in that department. He selected three different sizes of jeans, close to what he based his measurements on by the appearance of Max's old jeans. David sat outside of the changing room, waiting patiently, as Max tried on the jeans. The second pair ended up being the perfect fit.

They discarded the rejects and David grabbed four similar pairs of jeans, now of the correct size, and threw them into the cart. Max took charge when they made it to the shirt sections.

“How many can I pick?”

“Well, until the first foster care check arrives we’re on a budget. But, how about we start with three t-shirts and we can get even more later?”

Max nodded happily and made his way into the t-shirt section. David looked around at some of the winter coats on sale, he periodically glanced in Max’s direction, checking to make sure he hadn’t strayed out of sight. David selected a small, navy blue waterproof parka, the inside was lined in white cotton. It had several deep pockets and seemed just Max’s size.

_ Perfect. _

Just as he threw the coat into the shopping cart, Max appeared with three t-shirts. All of them had some sort of superhero or snarky phrase on them. He smiled, “Those are perfect, Max. Good job!”

“Hey, I found you a new coat. What do you think?” David held up the jacket, presenting it to the boy. Max’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes were sparkling, “Yeah, I like it. It’s pretty cool.”

“Alright, let's go find you a new pair of shoes and some snow boots.”

“O-Okay.”

They settled on a nice pair of red tennis shoes and found some decent snowboots that ended up matching the color of his new parka. Max let David lead him into the pajama section. Max found a few sets of pajamas. One pair was themed after Batman, Max was pretty excited about those in particular. They were about to leave the clothing section when he remembered.

“Shit hold on, I need to go grab something.”

Max bolted into the opposite direction of their previous destination, he ducked under a nearby clothes rack as a shortcut into the undergarment section. He failed to hear David calling frantically after him.

Max arrived at the undergarment section and quickly grabbed some boxers in his size, he also grabbed some socks while he was there. He was turning around to make his way back to David when David found him. David grabbed his shoulders with a panicked expression written across his face. David kneeled on the ground and spoke firmly, “Max! God, don’t run off like that! You scared the_ hel- _ECK...HECK out of me! I said heck!” 

Max grinned at David’s now flushed expression, “I’m sorry what was that? You sounded like you just choked dic-” 

“Max!”

“I’m just messing with you, how nice to know your mouth isn’t always so squeaky clean.”

David huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with two of his fingers, “My slight slip-up is beside the point. _ Max _, you cannot run off like that! What if you got lost? What if you got hurt? What if someone grabbed you? What if-”

“_ Woah _, chill out David. Look, I'm sorry I should’ve warned you before I ran off. I suddenly remembered I needed underwear and didn’t think you would care. I...I mean...my father would leave me to walk home if I wasn’t quick about stuff, so...I guess...um…” Max trailed off. 

Max looked up at David, who was giving him _that_ look again. The one filled with pity and...sadness. 

“Hey, it’s okay Max, just _ please _ warn me next time?”

“Sure, I guess.” 

“Alright, then onto the next aisle.”

Max groaned internally.

\---------------------------------------------------

In the end, they pretty much checked off their entire list; clothes, toothbrush and toothpaste, shampoo, etc. They even managed to find a neat comforter for Max. The soft blanket was a dark blue color with a faded red fabric, lining the ends. Max loved it. David even let Max pick out a few pillows for the bed they would set up later that week.

Max was excited to have his own room. His own space. He had that before at his old home, but this was the first time he would have a space he felt safe to sleep in. No one could hurt him in his new room. No one.

David had already bought the storage compartment for all the junk in the unused second bedroom, now they just needed to clean it out.

Max tried not to feel too guilty when they made it to the checkout area, he could tell David was trying to hide the total from him, so he opted not to look. 

** _You’re a waste of money, you know that right?_ **

_ Shut up. _

He effectively blocked the cruel voice from his head. He wasn’t dealing with this shit today.

_ Not today. Today, I’m choosing to be happy. You are NOT going to ruin this. _

Max let a fake smile affix itself to his expression as David finished paying. Max helped David place everything into the buggy and they began their excursion back to the truck. 

“Where would you like to go for dinner, Max?”

“I mean, we can just get takeout from some restaurant. I’m not super hungry, and we can bring some back for Gwen. Plus, you’ve spent enough money on me today.”

“Max...please be careful on that ledge.” David fretted as Max was currently walking along a raised garden bed in the parking lot, balancing himself on the narrow slope. 

“Relax, I'm fine. So takeout?”

“I’m perfectly fine with taking you out to dinner, Max. Don’t worry so much about money, it’s none of your concern.”

Max grumbled but continued hopping across each cavity in the brickwork. He decided, spontaneously, to be daring and attempted to leap from one garden bed to the next. He had forgotten all about the ice when he landed onto the next platform. His clunky, oversized boots skidded across the icy bricks and then Max was falling backward, his arms flailing. 

“S-shit!”

He landed into a pair of strong arms, they folded around his small frame protectively as the two hit the ground. The boys sat there on the ground for a moment, both reeling from the shock of the fall. Max's brain processed the fact that David had somehow managed to vault his narrow limbs over the shopping cart to catch Max. Finally, David spoke, 

“Are you trying to send me to an early grave, Max? You’re making my heart work overtime, kid.”

“Sorry, I-uh...forgot about the ice.”

David shook his head, exasperated, and picked himself up from the hard concrete. Max didn’t complain when David hoisted the boy onto his back, instead, he merely wrapped his small limbs around his neck and let himself be carried to the car.

David refused to let Max help him load up the bags into the car, so Max sulked as he silently flipped through the radio stations. Given that there was no one who could currently stop him, he landed on one of his favorites. One he knew David would object to, which was partially why he chose it.

_ -reated a monster _

_ ‘Cause nobody wants to see Marshall no more _

_ They want Shady, I’m chopped liver. _

_ Well if you want Shady this what I’ll give ya _

_ A little bit of weed _

_ Mixed with some hard liquor _

“Max!” David called from the backseat, where he was setting bags into the empty seats. He was not amused by his vulgar choice of artist.

“What? My mother raised me on Eminem, it's in my blood.”

He heard David sigh, muttering under his breath,

“Well, now I where you get that colorful vocabulary of yours.”

_ And get ready ‘cause this shit is about to get heavy _

_ I just settled all my lawsuits, _

“FUCK YOU, DEBBIE!” Max screamed. He continued to rap the entire song, perfectly, to David’s dismay. 

David was grateful when the song finally ended, but his ears felt sinful after hearing a ten-year-old boy rap an Eminem song flawlessly. 

Max was smug the entire drive home.

\--------------------------------------------

They ended up ordering pizza for dinner that night.

Gwen was awake by the time the boys arrived at the house, she helped the two unload the car. They ended up setting most of the bags in the living room, under the breakfast bar that was squeezed in between one of the couches and the half-wall. Once the second bedroom was finally cleaned out, they could store the items properly.

An hour later, the three of them were settled on the couches, eating pizza and bundled in blankets.

Max was lying vertically on the couch next to the half-wall bar, cocooned in his new comforter. He had the remote in his hand and was lazily scrolling through movies. David and Gwen were sharing a giant fuzzy brown blanket, both of them had their feet resting on the coffee table. They were closely squished together by the bundles of pillows and blankets consuming the couches. The two didn’t seem to really care.

“Oh! Let’s watch _ Enter the Florpus _!” 

“Hell yeah!” Gwen cheered.

“_Enter_ _the_ what now?” David asked, dumbfounded, at the ridiculous name.

Gwen and Max looked at him, both aghast, “You’ve never seen _ Invader Zim _?”

“No…?”

Gwen and Max both shared an evil look, then quickly used the TV to log into Gwen’s Hulu account.

_ Oh, boy. _

The rest of the night was spent watching the terrifyingly dark humored show. David knew he would have nightmares for weeks about the _ Dark Harvest _episode.

Hours passed and David involuntarily fell asleep, mildly traumatized, midway through season two.

\------------------------------------------

Gwen was watching Dib chase Zim around the large TV that was mounted atop the wall above the fireplace when she felt David slump over into Gwen’s lap, fast asleep. She flushed a bright red and looked over at Max on the other couch. He was half-asleep, giggling quietly at Gir screaming about pancakes. She looked down at David, his usually neat hair, was now sticking up at weird angles. 

She chuckled quietly at his disheveled appearance, she silently positioned herself to lay sideways across the couch, with David’s head still lying atop her crisscrossed legs. She moved her pillow behind her back and settled comfortably into the couch. Gwen allowed her hand to wander into David’s messy hair, weaving her fingers through the thick, auburn hair. 

She drifted off to the sound of both Zim’s maniacal laughter and David's steady breathing and her hand became limp atop David’s head. Still entwined in his hair.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> invader zim is a cinematic masterpiece and you can fight me.
> 
> Apologies for the short chapter but I again felt it was appropriate to leave it on a sweet note. Hopefully, the next chapter will be out soon.


	6. The Return of Mr. Honeynuts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys SO MUCH for 1000 notes! I did not expect to receive so much positive feedback. You guys are incredible. <3

“Hey, Gwen? Can you give me a hand with this box? My arms are starting to go numb.” 

David staggered from the weight of the heavy box that was filled to the brim with old nostalgic items from his youth. He just about fell over when a pair of lean, feminine arms caught the box and David effortlessly. David righted himself quickly, securing the box in his arms, letting Gwen hold up the other side.

“You good?”

“Yeah, nice catch. Alright, be careful with the door we might need to pivot it a little.”

Not a second later, a childish voice boomed from the other room, “PIVOT!!!”

“Max! Get off the damn couch and come hold the door for us,” Gwen snapped in response. Unamused by his antics.

The three of them had been up since nine o'clock in the morning, endlessly moving box after box into the U-HAUL truck outside. They were all tired, sweaty, and Max and Gwen were extremely cranky. The second bedroom was sadly, only halfway cleaned out and they still had a _long_ way to go.

Gwen and David carefully made their descent down the front steps and discarded the box gently into the van. David turned towards Max, who was wearing one of his new t-shirts, along with an old pair of sweatpants he’d brought with him. David walked up the steps and ruffled his hair, fondly, then made his way back into what would eventually become Max’s bedroom. 

David now had only a few more boxes to move until he had completely uncovered the old bedframe from his childhood. Max was grumbling to himself as he toted around a large garbage bag, picking up any trash he found around the room. David stacked a few more items into one of the large boxes and hoisted it into his arms, Gwen following in tow, with a box of her own.

“We are going to be here _ forever _.” Max groaned. “I’ll be old enough to fucking move out by the time we finish this.”

Gwen shot him an annoyed look, “Then we better pick up the pace, munchkin.”

David responded to Max’s complaints with a much kinder response, “The sooner we get this done, the sooner you have a bed of your own.”

“That’s bullshit, the mattress won’t even be here till Friday.” Max retorted, he crossed his arms, staring at him angrily.

David felt his patience wither slightly, he did _ not _ have the energy to deal with this. He was exhausted and his back ached, but Max continued on in his whining, "This is fucking _dumb_, why do I have to help? It's not like I can help carry shit anyways."

"Come on kiddo, you've been a great help. Just a little while longer and the-"

“We’ve been at this for _ hours _ , David. I’m fucking _ tired _ . I don’t want to do this shit anymore. _ I'm done._”

David steeled himself, closing his eyes, and took a deep inhale through his nose and exhaled it back through his mouth. He opened his eyes to look at Max, who was staring daggers at him.

David knelt down to Max and ran his hand through his hair, which was quickly becoming a habit, 

“Okay, Max, why don’t you go take a nap? Gwen and I can keep working, and you can come back out when you are ready. Alright?”

Max smirked darkly, satisfied that David had so easily surrendered. The boy promptly dashed into the living room, burying himself under the mountain of blankets atop the couch. David turned to Gwen, who was staring at him incredulously. Then sharply, in a hushed toned, she said, “The _ fuck _ was that? He’s was being a brat! What’s with the pushover parent act all of a sudden?”

“Max has had enough people yell at him. As much as he may have deserved it, punishing him wouldn’t have done anything but make him explode at us. He’s far too fragile right now for proper discipline."

Gwen somehow managed to look even more baffled, “He’s been a little shit for _ days _ now, David. I mean, Max has moments where he’s upset, but fragile?”

“You said it yourself that I know Max better than anyone. When Max was yelling at us, just now, he was fidgeting with his hands the entire conversation. He even flinched when I knelt down by him. He was afraid, Gwen.”

Gwen was silent after that, she appeared lost in her own mind for a brief moment. She quickly collected herself and together, the two of them continued hauling boxes and broken furniture until late in the evening.

Max never came back out from under the blankets. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was beginning to dip under the horizon, ready to continue on with its endless shining to the other side of the planet. Gwen and David were carefully maneuvering a battered and broken desk from the nearly empty room. The two had just begun to resume work after gorging themselves with pizza. Gwen had sent David to attempt to coax Max from his burrow but to no avail. So they continued on with their task.

“C-Careful! Turn it slowly, we don’t want to hit the wall.”

Gwen adjusted her grip to firmily hold the underside of the desk, as they cleared the corner into the foyer. She looked up at David, whose shirt was soaked with sweat and sticking itself to David’s abdomen. Her brain short-circuited at the sight and she let herself take in the sight David’s abs. _ W-well...he definitely works out…he’s...really... _She shook herself out of her mind, effectively cutting off whatever dirty end that thought was heading for. She swallowed hard as David gently set down the desk, “Ok, let me prop open the door.” 

David grabbed the makeshift doorstop they had been using, Gwen hungrily took in the sight of David's backside before mentally slapping herself. David moved back to lift his end of the desk. Together they slowly began their familiar descent down the aged, stone steps. The two were halfway to the bottom when David’s grip faltered and he gasped, “No! Devin’s moving?!” 

The desk slammed down onto the steps, sending Gwen crashing into the jutting side, effectively knocking all the air out of her lungs. David quickly righted himself, apologizing profusely as they continued down the steps. 

Once they had set the desk down on the stable ground, Gwen punched him in the arm, hard.

“Ow! Why? I said I was sorry like twenty times!”

Gwen rolled her eyes as she shook her knuckles. _ Fuck that hurt. _ She harshly growled at him, 

“Who the fuck is Devin?”

“M-My neighbor, he helped me move into the apartment three years ago. I had thought of buying his house previously, then when I learned it was occupied, I met Devin. I can’t believe he’s moving!”

“Why were you going to buy that house? This house is amazing."

David flinched away at her harsh tone and quickly explained, “It is a lot smaller than this one, but it’s a really cozy little apartment. It’s a one-bedroom, one-bathroom; but it has a really convenient office space with a nice view of the park.”

David sighed dreamily as he looked fondly at the house across the street. Gwen was too lost in her own mind to notice as she was contemplating an insane idea that her brain was suddenly at war with.

_ A house for rent, right across the street from Max and David? _

_ Interesting. Insane, but interesting. Oh, boy. _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

** _You’re useless, Max. David definitely regrets keeping you now. What kind of ungrateful brat doesn’t help clean out their own room? _ **

_ I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucked up. I fucke- _

Max didn’t dare come out from his cocoon of warm blankets, he was ashamed. The second he landed under the sheets, he regretted ever complaining. Gwen and David had done so much for him, and how had he repaid them? By complaining until they were sick of him. **_You're w_** _ **orthless.** _

Angry tears had long since dried on his face, and the emotional numbness of his mind only fueled the cruel voice running rampant through his thoughts. Max gently curled in on himself, hugging his slender knees tightly to his quivering chest. A hand came down gently atop the blanket and Max’s breathing hitched softly.

“Hey, bud. You gonna stay in there all day? Pizza is here if you want to join Gwen and I….Max?”

Max forced himself to breathe steadily, hoping to convince David that he was sound asleep. He was not ready for this; to have David send him back after everything, but he knew he deserved it.

** _Weak. So pitiful and weak. How ashamed he must be to care for such a disgrace._ **

_ Why would anyone want me? _

His torturous thoughts came to a pause when he heard David sigh loudly, he could hear some shuffling fade in and out of the room. A hand reached under the blankets, not to grab him like Max feared, but instead, the hand pressed a warm, soft, and familiar bear into Max’s arms.

_ Mr. Honeynuts… _

Max squashed the bear to his chest, protectively, as he listened carefully to the sound of David’s footsteps fading away. His heart clenched with guilt and an emotion he could not name, one that made him feel, _ odd _.

The rest of the day was spent camped out underneath the bundle of suffocating blankets, it was only when night had fallen did Max retreat from his cave. He searched around for any signs of David and Gwen, then paused as he could hear Gwen’s loud snoring emanate from David’s room.

_ Now, where could David be? _

Max crept quietly into the kitchen, wincing when the floorboards groaned underneath him. David was not in the kitchen, nor did he seem to be anywhere in the house. He was not in Max’s nearly empty room, nor in the bathroom or laundry room either. Which only left one possible answer. One that Max’s stomach twisted nauseously at the thought of.

_ There’s no fucking way. _

He hated to look, but he needed to know David’s location if he was going to achieve his plan of redemption. He slowly sneaked to David’s door and with the utmost care, he gently opened the door, preparing himself mentally for the sight of….

_ Are you shitting me? Dude. _

Gwen was sprawled across David’s bed, fast asleep, her hair was sticking up at odd ends and she had drool climbing down her chin. She was wearing a pair of David’s flannel pajama bottoms and a large t-shirt with a shitty logo. David, on the other hand, was passed out on the floor. He had a blanket wrapped tightly around his narrow frame and was muttering softly in his sleep. Max almost laughed at how pathetic he looked, wishing to know how he ended up booted off the bed. Max felt a surge of confidence course through him. _ Great, don’t have to worry about those losers for the next eight hours. _

He gently shut the door and got to work.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

A deafening _ crash _echoed throughout the small house. 

Gwen jolted forward at the painful noise, fully alert. Without a second thought, she lept out of David’s bed to investigate. Unfortunately for David, Gwen’s franticness meant him being violently waking to the pain of a body crashing atop of him; as Gwen’s foot dug into David’s abdomen and she was sent sprawling to the floor.

“Urk! Ow, Gwen, what the heck is going on? What’s wrong?”

Gwen paid him no mind as she hastily recovered herself and desperately hauled ass out the door; leaving David sitting there tired, confused, and mildly bruised. 

She quickly turned the corner into Max’s bedroom where she discovered Max's bear, partially buried underneath the tall oak bookshelf that had been deemed too unstable and unsafe to stay in the room. David and Gwen had meant to move it out the next day, but it appeared Max had attempted to beat them to it. The kid, however, was nowhere to be found in the small room, and it wasn’t as if there were many places to hide anymore. The room was practically bare. She was about to go check the other room for the boy when she heard a faint cry echo from underneath the collapsed shelf. Her heart sank.

“MAX! Oh my God! David! Get your ass in here!”

Gwen desperately tried to lift the enormous bookshelf off the small boy, digging her fingers underneath the oak frame. Her nails were ruined but she couldn't give a damn, the bookshelf was proving too heavy for her to lift alone. “DAVID!” She screamed, her strength was quickly draining from her body, with only adrenaline holding the bookshelf an inch off the cracked hardwood floor. Gwen felt her quickly numbing fingers begin to slip from the grooves of the shelf when a pair of steady hands grabbed the adjacent side of the bookshelf.

The pure fear plastered across David’s face was a sight Gwen prayed she would never see again. 

Together, the two carefully, but quickly worked to free Max. When they had managed to elevate the massive bookcase about a foot off the ground, David adjusted his grip and firmly nodded in Gwen’s direction, signaling her to quickly snatch the now-unconscious child from the crevice he had been trapped in. 

Once Max was firmly enclosed in her arms, Gwen quickly dove out of the way of the unstable shelf, just as David’s grip failed. She clutched Max tightly to her chest as the bookcase landed with a heavy thud. David then rushed to her side, wrapping his long and lanky limbs around both of them. Holding the two, firm in his arms.

For a long moment, the two sat there and listened to the steady, _wonderful_ sound of Max’s breathing. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Max’s hazy thoughts slowly began piecing themselves back together. Fragments of memories and emotions, everything that made Max, _ Max, _echoing throughout every crevice of his mind in one awful cacophony. All to form a single sentence. A single thought.

_ Fuck...my head is splitting. _

The arduous pain only intensified with every shaky breath that circulated throughout his small body. Then suddenly, a peaceful white noise washed over him and he relaxed for a moment. The white noise numbed the pain, blocking it out and slowly neutralizing his discomfort with every beat of his heart. The noise was growing louder and clearer. Too loud. Wait.

_ Holy shit, too loud. Way too loud. _

The noise was shifting slowly, into a monstrous ringing sound that screamed into every part of his tiny frame. The pain returned with a vengeance, slamming into him full force. Max cried out. His head was on fire. A wave of nausea crashed over him, and everything became so much worse.

All his senses dilated at once, and suddenly he could feel, hear, _ everything _. It was hell. It was too loud, even his own heartbeat was deafening. He could hear someone screaming a name he no longer recognized. The child could feel knobby kneecaps dig into his spine and hands were touching him, trying to piece the broken boy back together, maybe. He understood, it felt like he was shattering. The pressure of his own head was unbearable. He could smell the pepperoni pizza in the kitchen, his stomach lurched at the strong smell of grease and gooey cheese. Suddenly, even the taste of his own mouth was revolting. 

The boy could do nothing as all the food he had consumed was violently expelled from his body, it was the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life. His only consolation in his suffering was the darkness that was slowly eating away at him.

Everything was just too much. 

  
The darkness engulfed him. Then there was _ nothing _.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...? Listen, I swear I don't mean to hurt Max as much as I do. I don't have an outline for the fic. It just kinda happens. I do however have a general idea of where I want this story to go, whatever happens in between is just spur of the moment. IM SORRY MAX I LOVE YOU.
> 
> Next chapter will hopefully be out soon, I have four projects due at school so please bear with me. You guys are the best. 
> 
> -Emi


	7. Penlights are The Root of All Evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks nervously at her growing stack of homework and projects*
> 
> *writes a whole chapter*
> 
> this is probably fine

Gwen watched as David checked Max over for what seemed like the fiftieth time in an hour. By some miracle, Max was relatively unscathed save for a large bump on the back of his head and a few bruises. It was incredible really. The bookshelf had fallen on top of Max, but instead of crushing him, Max had ended up trapped inside one of the shelves. 

It should have been worse, so much worse; Max’s skull should’ve cracked wide open from the impact alone, but it didn’t. It was baffling, but neither of them cared, the kid was going to be okay. Everything would be okay.

Max just had to wake up. 

Gwen made her way from the kitchen towards the boys, she gently rested a hand onto David’s shoulder, he looked up to see her holding a cup of tea for him, in his favorite mug. The one Max had chipped. He took the mug from her and slowly sipped at the scalding tea, apparently not caring about the burn of the scorching liquid. Gwen frowned as she moved to sit next to David, who was on the couch in the living room. 

Max was lying motionless on the couch next to the wall. His head was bandaged over a soft ice pack covering the bump. The boy had been carefully wrapped in blankets and was lying atop a soft pillow, the softest one David could find. The entire house was lit only by a few candles that were scattered throughout the house.

Max needed darkness, David knew this. They had long since called Dr. Hopper to inform her of the situation, she said she would be there first thing in the morning with a doctor to look over Max.

Gwen rested her head gently on David’s shoulder and he automatically wrapped an arm around her, tenderly pulling her closer. Gwen rested her legs on top of David’s, which were on the coffee table. The two sat there for a long time, watching Max’s chest rise and fall with every breath. 

Gwen finally broke the silence an hour later, “I’m thinking about moving into that house across the street.”

She felt David stiffen in shock, as she looked up at his amusing expression, slack-jawed with awe from the sudden declaration. Gwen waited patiently for David to snap his jaw shut and say something, anything. “W-What?”

_ Not quite the response I was looking for. _

David stammered, his face flushed with emotion, “I-I...Really? You’re serious?”

Gwen thought for a moment, she hadn’t seriously considered the decision until that bookcase fell onto Max. Now she was certain. Her boys needed her, and she’d be damned if anything stopped her, 

“Yeah, I am. Money, of course, will be extremely tight for a while, but I think I can make it stretch. I’m sure I can find a job here and I’ll be extremely close to both of you. This way, I’ll be able to help out with Max. There’s nothing keeping me in New York.”

A wobbly grin slowly stretched across David’s face and he wrapped both his arms firmly around her waist, hugging her tightly to his chest. Gwen responded by burying her face into his chest, taking the opportunity to deeply inhale the comforting scent of pine trees and cinnamon that radiated off of David. He pulled away gently after a long moment, and carefully took her face in his hands, leaning his forehead gently atop hers. He smiled fondly and Gwen’s heart fluttered, 

“God, what would I do without you, Gwen?”

Gwen looked up into the endless blue emerald forest of his glistening eyes, she felt herself leaning forward to close the distance between them when Max groaned painfully from the couch next to them. 

Then, the moment was lost in the void of countless others just like it.

David and Gwen jumped off the couch and rushed over to the waking boy, Gwen perched herself on the arm of the couch while David chose to sit on the floor next to Max. They both waited impatiently, their frantic heartbeats synching together in perfect harmony as they listened for any sign of Max stirring.

Max’s eyes fluttered and he squinted with discomfort from the dim candlelight on top of the mantle. David quickly got up to blow the flame out. Gwen gently stroked the bridge of Max’s nose, soothing the boy. Max stilled and then croaked out weakly, “What happened?” 

David whispered, not wanting to hurt his no-doubt, sensitive ears, “The bookshelf fell on top of you, Max. You hit your head pretty hard, bud. How are you feeling?”

Max’s eyes lazily looked around at the room, familiarity lighting up his unique aqua eyes. He looked to David and spoke quietly in a weak voice, 

“Shitty.”

David chuckled softly, "Yeah, kid. You have quite the bump on your head. Dr. Hopper will be here in the morning with a friend to take a look at it."

Max's breathing hitched, "I-Is she going to take me away?"

David shushed him gently, attempting to soothe the increasing distress of the boy, "No, Max. She understands that it was an accident. She just wants to make sure there are no serious injuries. Hold on, I'm going to go get you some water, hang tight."

Gwen stayed quiet during David's speech, letting him handle this. He was the more level-headed of the two, by a wide margin. She continued to gently soothe the boy the best way she could, by rubbing gentle circles into Max's shoulders and upper back. The boy settled into her touch, leaning his head back to look at her with hazy eyes. Gwen took notice that he was not quite looking at her, his eyes were shifting abnormally, "Hi Gwen," he murmured.

"Hey, Max."

He raised his eyebrows slightly, confused by her lackluster response, "You okay?"

"Not really, Max. You scared the hell out of the both of us, you know?"

Max's eyes glistened from the dim candlelight in the kitchen, he whispered in the dark, "I'm s-sorry... I'm so sorry. I d-didn't mean to...I just...wanted to fix everything…"

Max took a deep breath and tried again to make his point, “I didn’t mean to...get so angry at you two. Please...don’t send me away.”

Gwen sighed and continued her ministrations in Max's tense shoulders, "Max, there was nothing you did that needed fixing. Sure, you were a brat, but we knew you didn't mean it. David never _once _hesitated when he decided to foster you. He knew immediately, that he was going to be able to care for you and deal with your moody attitudes. David knows that you didn't mean to lash out...Max, look at me."

Gwen waited for Max's closed and tearful eyes to open, she waited until she had the full attention of Max's strange aqua eyes.

"David cares about you, _ so much. _There is nothing you could do that would make his affection for you diminish, not even a little bit. Do you understand that?"

Max was on the verge of sobbing now, tears were flowing freely down his warm coffee-colored cheeks. Gwen wrapped her arms gently around the boy and held him as she waited for his sniffles to slowly subside.

Gwen could see David standing at the edge of the doorway out of the corner of her eye. He was holding a water bottle in his hand and he had steady tears dripping slowly down his face. Realizing he'd been caught, he quickly wiped away his tears and relocated back to his spot at Max's side.

“Here Max, drink this...Yes, all of it. It will make your head feel a lot better.”

To his credit, Max really did try to drink the whole bottle; however, halfway through, he began nodding off. Gwen and David spent the next hour trying to coax Max into sitting up and drinking a few sips. Eventually, he drained the water bottle of its contents and they finally let him rest.

The remainder of the night was spent with Gwen and David taking turns every two hours to watch Max, while the other slept. 

It ended up being a long night of restless sleep for both of them.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was around 8:30 in the morning when someone gently knocked on the door.

David was on shift at that point, he let Gwen continue to sleep and walked into the foyer to let their guests in.

He opened the door to see an anxious-looking Dr. Hopper, next to her was a pale young woman with short strawberry-blonde hair and sharply-focused blue eyes. She was perhaps an inch taller than Rachelle and wore curved square glasses that framed her face, perfectly. The stranger reached out her hand to firmly shake David's, as she spoke to him with a kind and slightly southern drawl,

“Good morning, Mr. Alder, my name is Dr. Emilie Kane. I’m Rachelle’s roommate.”

David nervously shook the woman’s hand, “I wish we could be meeting on better circumstances.”

David looked over at Dr. Hopper, who was fidgeting nervously with a dark purple pen, she spoke quickly, “I am so sorry we could not be here earlier, we had some trouble finding a last-minute babysitter for Emilie’s son.”

David shook his head, “It’s no problem, please come in, Max and Gwen are both asleep on the couch. Please, be mindful of making too much noise of course, though you probably already knew that.”

Dr. Kane set her large medical bag down on the kitchen table, she grabbed a penlight and a thermometer from the bag and made her way over to Max. She began quietly taking his temperature, expertly maneuvering herself to not wake the boy.

David softly poked Gwen awake, alerting her of the guests in the house. She yawned as quietly as she could and sat up to make room for David on the small couch.

Dr. Kane turned to David and spoke quietly, “He does have a fever but its not too high, 100.7F. I would like it to be lower, of course, but it is what it is.”

Then she began to gently nudge Max awake, whispering in an almost motherly tone,

“Hello Max, my name is Emilie, I'm here to check about your head. Is that okay with you?”

Max’s eyelids slowly opened as he woke and he stared at her for a moment with an odd expression. Max nodded hesitantly to her question, David could tell he was already nervous.

“Okay, Max. I’m going to need you to sit up for me, I won’t check your eyes yet, so don’t worry. Trust me, I know the penlight sucks. Can I ask you some basic questions?”

Max arranged himself into a sitting position, wincing slightly at the pressure of his aching head. He nodded again to Dr. Kane.

“Can you tell me your full name?”

“Max Thakur.”

“Very good, alright Max. Do you know where we are right now?”

“I think we are in the living room? It’s kinda dark, but this is the couch, so definitely the living room.”

“Excellent, Max. Do you remember how you got hurt?”

Max paused at that question, he took a long moment to think, he answered defeatedly, “I know I was trying to clean the house up because I felt bad that I had yelled at David and Gwen. I think David told me what happened but I can’t remember what it was anymore. I don’t remember anything after that, sorry.”

That’s when David finally noticed that the house was practically spotless, he had been so worried about Max, that he had failed to take notice of the immaculate state of his home. 

“That’s perfectly fine, Max. It’s common for children _ and adults _ to forget the events of head injuries. It’s also completely normal for there to be some confusion and forgetfulness afterward. You’re doing gre-”

“I know you, don’t I?”

Max’s sudden declaration had Dr. Kane blankly staring at him with a confused expression, “I’m sorry?”

“You...you were on the bus that day. You were holding your baby, but you waved at me when I got off the bus.”

Then Max had gained the doctor's undived attention. David practically watched the wheels turning in her head as she recalled the small lonely boy who had worried her so much that snowy day. Rachelle slowly reached out to lay a hand on Emilie’s shoulder, 

“The boy you were so fretful about when you arrived at my apartment last week, remember? I never thought to guess that he and Max could have been the same person.”

Emilie reached out, slowly cupping Max’s face in her hands and she smiled at him with a thankful expression, “I...I...I’m so _glad_ you’re okay. That day, I was moving from my hometown to live with Rachelle. You see, my husband...he recently passed away. I had no choice but to take my son, Oliver, and move out of our home.”

She swallowed, hard, her voice wavered slightly as she continued, “I remember seeing you on that bus, with nothing but a duffel bag, you looked so alone. The moment you got off that bus, I wished I had said something to you, but I just waved instead. You don’t know how much it relieves me to know that the little boy on the bus found a home of his own.”

She let go of Max’s face and sat there for a long moment, the joy on her face remained, but she needed to continue her examination,

“Ms. Rivera, can you turn on the bathroom light for me. I need a little bit of light for this next part.”

“Of course.”

David watched as Gwen got up to flip on the bathroom light, leaving the door partially ajar. She then drifted back to her spot next to David on the couch.

“Okay, Max. I’m going to hold up my finger and I need you to follow it with your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

Max nodded, and Dr. Kane began to move her hand slowly around Max’s line of vision. Max’s eyes did anything _but_ focus on the hand, his eyes darted abnormally from right to left as he tried to follow her finger. Dr. Kane frowned, “Rachelle? Can you grab my bag please?”

Rachelle returned from the kitchen a moment later and deposited her bag next to Emilie. Dr. Kane fished through it for a minute then found her clipboard and carefully scribbled down her findings. She then turned towards Max and quickly tapped his nose three times, without warning. This caused Max to blink rapidly, confused by the gesture and unable to focus on its origins. Dr. Kane made a concerned sound and then spoke, “Ok Max, one last test. I’m not gonna lie this one sucks but I need to check your pupils, okay? Mr. Alder, can you come hold him in case he flinches too much? I need him to stay completely still.” 

David hurried to take a seat next to Max on the couch, gently he shifted the boy into his lap and held his shoulders firmly. Dr. Kane grabbed the penlight she had tucked into her pocket and moved closer to Max’s face, holding his chin between her fingers, “Are you ready, Max?”

Max nodded nervously but then in a shaky voice he answered, “Yeah.”

The penlight flicked to life, beaming hot white light into Max’s eye. Max yelped, unable to adjust his eyes to the blinding light. Emilie looked at the other eye, quickly got the information she needed, and turned the light off. David ran his fingers through his hair tenderly, trying not to further injure the boy’s head. Max leaned against him, relaxing his tense frame.

“Sorry I know that sucked, but it's over. No more penlight.”

“Promise?”

“Of course, Max. I promise. Okay, Max one last thing, I need to take a look at your head for a minute. I have to make sure everything looks relatively normal and that there’s no abnormal swelling.”

“Okay.”

David watched anxiously, as she walked around to the arm of the couch and gently removed the bandages. She carefully examined the large bump on Max’s head, looking for any signs of dried blood or any open wounds. It appeared she found none. She looked over to David as she started rummaging through her bag again, 

“Well, it appears that he has a mild concussion. Based on what you told me over the phone I brought medications for any head-related injuries, just in case; which includes pain meds for concussions.” 

She reached in her bag and took out two different bottles, both filled with prescription drugs. She shook one of the bottles in front of David. The sound of pills clanging against one another filled the room.

“This one is a narcotic, it will help him sleep and dull most of the pain. The other is a diuretic, that will help reduce the pressure in his brain. It will also make him have to pee a lot more. He will need to take one of each every four hours for the next two weeks, then once a day till the bottles are both empty. I expect them to be completely gone when I return to clear him for school in a month. Max needs to be strictly on bed rest for an entire week. No strenuous activities for a month. _No exceptions_. His body needs to rest both mentally and physically to completely heal itself. He needs to drink at least three liters of water a day. With all the calories he will be burning in his sleep, double the amount of food he normally eats, steer away from junk food and tough food. Eggs, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats will be the best for healing his brain. Try to limit the amount of sugar in his diet and absolutely no caffeinated beverages. Especially _coffee_.”

Max let out of cry of retaliation at that last statement. David tried his best to not smile at the irony. He nodded firmly after Dr. Kane had finished explaining the rules. Max was grumbling to himself, clearly distraught at the thought of no coffee for a month. Poor kid.

“Alright, I am going to wrap his head back up with some of my own equipment. I'll also place a gel icepack on the wound. Afterward, I will need to write the prescription to prove that I gave you these. Call me _immediately_ if there are; any abnormal changes with his behavior, his headache gets worse, or if the swelling worsens or doesn’t reduce.”

At that moment, Rachelle motioned for David to meet her outside, he swallowed nervously. Gwen took his hand in her own and gently squeezed it as a sign of good luck. 

He followed Rachelle out the front door and the two of them both sat on the front steps. She spoke first, “Of course, I understand that what happened with Max was a total accident and was in no way your fault. I only ask that you _ please _ be more careful next time and that is all I will say on the matter.”

David nodded solemnly, a twinge of guilt still lingered in his chest, “I understand, Dr. Hopper.”

“I am not mad. This incident is not going to go in your file and no one is going to take Max away unless you prove to be an unfit guardian. This event has not changed my opinion of you David, it could have happened to anyone."

She took a deep breath then continued, "In other news, we need to discuss the date of your foster care classes and when Max needs to go back to school. Obviously, this incident will delay the latter. I believe today is December 15, so...I expect him to be in school by the beginning of February. He should be back to his usual antics by then and will be well-adjusted to living with you by that point.”

David nodded, touched by the fact that Dr. Hopper still felt he was a fit guardian. He phrased his next question carefully, “Is there any school work that I should be concerned about, any tests that he needs to have taken by then?”

“I will talk to the school board personally and retrieve any work that Max may have missed, but for now you need to focus on Max’s health and getting him to a point where he is a healthy and happy child. The latter will be a challenge, trust me I know." Dr. Hopper fiddled again with the pen she had been deconstructing and reconstructing the entire visit, she then asked, "You are a teacher, correct?”

David stammered, “U-uh college professor actually. I teach Environmental Sciences. But I’m sure I figure out fifth-grade homework.”

“When do you go back to work, you took the last week off for Max, right? Surely, you need to return soon?”

“Yeah, I have the rest of this week. The school is about to let out for Christmas break so they were very lenient with my current situation. So I go back to work on January 4th, I believe.”

Dr. Hopper looked concerned, but David had the next statement out of his mouth before she could ask a very obvious question, “Gwen is...um...planning to move across the street, she’s already explained that she wants to help me with Max. Of course, I’m planning on paying for her moving expenses, not that she’s aware of it. Gwen used up a good chunk of her savings just to fly down here last minute. She’s an amazing woman, I know she will always put Max first.”

“Then...I trust your judgment. We did do a precautionary background check on Ms. Rivera when we saw her relationship with Max. It came back completely clean, I have no reason to suspect that Ms. Rivera would ever harm Max.”

“She would never, _ ever _ harm him.”

Dr. Hopper smiled, “Then there does not need to be any more discussion on the topic. Now about the foster classes, they start next week but I'm willing to push them back till after Christmas for Max’s health, will that work for you?”

“That would be perfect. I do have one question though before this whole incident I was planning on buying Max a phone for Christmas. Also, I need to buy him more clothes and necessities. I was just wondering what day the foster care checks start coming in? I know that sounds pushy, I did-”

“David, it’s fine. I think it is wonderful that you’re buying Max a phone, I am sure he will love it. I believe you will get your first check on the twentieth. And of course, we will fund his clothing and necessities he may require, though you are legally responsible for any gifts, that is just the protocol. It is dumb, I know.”

David reassured her there was no problem, that he was perfectly fine and even planned on purchasing Max’s gifts with his own money. The front door opened and Dr. Kane stepped out on the front porch, “Hey Rachelle? The sitter just called, apparently Oliver is fussy and she can’t seem to calm him down. I just finished with Max, you ready to go?” 

Rachelle turned to David, looking to see if he had any more questions for her. David shook his head, “All right then, call me of course if there are any problems with Max or if he gets worse. I should be back to check up on the three of you sometime next week. Have a good day David! Tell Max, that it was nice to see him again, from both of us I guess. Heh.”

David stayed on the porch, waving until the two ladies had driven out of sight. He went back inside to find both Max and Gwen fast asleep on the couch. Gwen was curled up against the back of the couch holding Max, who was lying flat on his back, in her arms. David quickly snapped a photo of the adorable duo onto his phone.

_ It certainly didn’t take either of them long to fall asleep. _

David sat down in his chair and pulled out a dusty stack of essays from under the coffee table. He worked late into the evening, finally grading his students’ lackluster papers, while his odd little family quietly slept next to him. A single thought echoed throughout his mind.

_ This is bliss. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love both my plot ocs, so good luck ripping them from my cOLD DEAD HANDS.


	8. The Great Coffee Theft

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i warned you guys i was gwenvid trash.

Five days trudged by at a slug’s pace, but Max still had two more torturous bed-ridden days to go before he was free. It was agonizing. Max felt he was never going to be allowed out of his newly put together bed. As much as he loved the soft mattress and cozy bedding, he was beginning to go stir-crazy. Max looked around at his increasingly mundane surroundings. His room was mostly bare, save for his twin-sized bunk, which sat head-first against the wall, next to the door. David had promised him they would go furniture shopping once Max was cleared to move around. Until then, Max was bed-ridden and he fucking despised it. 

_ My head doesn’t even hurt that bad anymore. This is such horseshit. I am more than capable of getting out of bed to use the goddamn bathroom on my own, I’m not a fucking baby. _

Max needed to take action. This was getting ridiculous. No, scratch that. It was already ridiculous.

Max took a few moments to quietly listen for any sign of activity outside his door. To his surprise, not even the old floorboards made a sound. The coast was clear. _Finally_, it was nighttime. It had been hard for Max to tell the long days from the equally long nights. David had been strictly keeping all the lights in the house off and the windows covered. 

_ Well, I guess David’s power bill will be cheap as hell this month. _ _ He better give me a fucking cookie for my efforts. Or maybe just some...coffee. _

Max sighed mournfully at the thought of sweet caffeine, letting himself become lost in his head. Then he suddenly realized he was wasting time. _Someone could walk by any moment, Max! It's now or never. _He shook himself out of his thoughts and forced himself to focus. _This ends now. _

Max carefully sat up in his bed. He tried his best not to make the mattress springs creak as he placed one foot gently on the floor, quickly followed by the other. Ever so carefully, Max shifted his weight off the bed and onto his feet. As soon as he stood fully upright, his vision swirled nauseously in front of him and his head pounded. He quickly steadied himself on the wall and waited for the floor to stop tilting dangerously. He’d learned the hard way after his first escape attempt to quickly hug the wall as soon as he got on his feet. Once the world stopped spinning, he quietly crept out of the room. 

_ Coffee time, motherfuckers. _

Five days. Five whole  _ goddamn _ days without coffee. If the concussion didn’t kill him, then the caffeine withdrawals  _ definitely _ would. Max leaned heavily against the wall, using it as a support as he quietly snuck into the kitchen. Once he felt the cold linoleum floors underneath his feet, he released his support and stumbled out blindly for one of the counters. Shaky hands met the grooves of marble counters and Max cheered internally. This was the farthest he’d ever gotten, usually, by now he would have face-planted or been caught. 

Max used the counters to guide himself towards the Keurig. He ran his hands across the beautiful hard plastic of the coffeemaker with longing. _Finally, this is it, it has to be_. Max reached up to the cupboard to grab the first mug he could get his tiny fingers around. He quickly changed out the coffee filter and filled the Keurig with water. Then, in the dark and empty kitchen, Max began brewing the first cup of coffee he’d had in almost a week. He had to be quick, the smell of freshly-brewed coffee would definitely give him away. He was prepared to chug that bitter luxury down as fast as possible.

The Keurig had just finished warming itself when Max’s legs began to tremble and the kitchen started to spin violently.  _ Fuck. _ Just before his small knees buckled into the ground, Max was able to press down on the  _ BREW _ button. 

The room around him was doing elaborate somersaults, causing Max to curl protectively into a ball on the cold kitchen floor. He faintly heard familiar footsteps echo throughout the house and they were getting dangerously close.

“Max?” He heard the footsteps come to a halt in front of him, followed by a loud sigh, “Max...what the hell are you doing?”

_ Busted. _

“Fuck off, Gwen. Just let me die in peace. My whole life is a cruel joke.”

Gwen chuckled and moved to scoop the small boy off the ground. Max attempted, possibly in vain, to grab his mug of fresh coffee from the Keurig. But Gwen was quick, as she grabbed his wrists and pinned them to his side, holding his squirming body fast against her. She proceeded to carry Max unwillingly back into his room and deposited him onto the bed. Max quickly sat up on the bed and glared angry teal eyes at her,

“You’re a fucking  _ monster _ , you know that?”

“Am I?” Gwen took one hand out from behind her back to reveal the coffee mug, she eyed it nocuously, “I guess if I’m  _ such a monster _ I should just drink this myself then? Since you brewed it all nice and fresh,  _ just for me _ .”

Max panicked and held his hands out in defeat, “N-no! Wait! Please, Gwen, I’m begging you. I’m dying here. Help a fellow caffeine addict out, would you?”

Gwen took the mug away from her lips and cautiously handed it to Max, “C’mon Max, I’m not that cruel. Just be quick, David will be home soon and he will  _ kill me _ if he knows I let you drink that shit.”

Max took the mug greedily in his hands and quickly drained the cup of its contents. He then collapsed onto his pillows, letting the warm and bitter taste seep into his bones. Max pressed the mug to his nose and inhaled the bitter scent. He let a sigh escape his lips, “Thank god. I owe you one Gwen.”

Max handed the empty mug to Gwen who winked at him, “Damn right you do, now go back to bed. The more sleep you get, the better chance you have of not being brain dead at ten years old.”

“ _ Ohhh...  _ well  that explains a lot . No wonder you got a liberal arts degree.”

Gwen rolled her eyes at the jab, “Go to bed you little _shit_, David and I are setting up the Christmas tree today, so the lights will be on.  _ Stay in bed _ , unless you  _ really _ want to make yourself vomit again. David said once you’re  cleared to be out of bed, then we can all put up the ornaments.”

“Oh, yeah. Kinda forgot about the whole Christmas thing.” 

“Me too, kiddo,” Gwen smirked as she examined the empty cup in her hands. “But, David really wants Christmas to be special this year since it’s your first one here with him.”

“Technically, my first Christmas with David was that weird summer snowstorm at camp.”

“ _ Ha-Ha _ . Yeah, I guess that kind of counts.” Gwen moved to close the door behind her, “Anyway, _get some sleep_, Max. Yell if you need anything.”

The door closed and Max was alone in the darkness,  _ again _ . He was so over with being injured, it was boring and he was fucking sick of it. 

_ Two more days. I can survive two more days, right? _

\------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, are the lights on  _ now _ ?"

"Nope."

David groaned. This  _ had _ to be the most infuriating Christmas tree in the history of ...well, Christmas trees. David and Gwen had spent the past two hours attempting to string the freshly chopped pine tree with colorful lights. They had successfully strung up all the lights across every twisted and complicated branch, but upon attempting to light up the tree, the bottom section refused to turn on. So now, they were blindly trying to find which plug was malfunctioning.

"Wait! I think I found it!”

David listened to the pine needles clash against one another as Gwen maneuvered her hands to the disconnected plug and snapped the pieces together. The tree went pitch dark for a moment, causing David's heart to sink into his stomach. But then, it flickered back to life. A string of triumphant shouts bounced throughout the enclosure. They were quickly stifled when the two remembered the injured boy sleeping in the other room.

David and Gwen retreated off the floor and together they stood, side by side, admiring their handiwork. The tree shone brightly throughout the dark house, twinkling magnificently. The mere act of looking at the expertly cut piece of timber filled David with joy.

It was everything David loved about Christmas, well almost. They still had to decorate it, along with the rest of the house. David had even gone out earlier to purchase a custom-made stocking with Max's name, beautifully embroidered along the seam. He had also purchased Max's Christmas gifts...and Gwen's.

Gwen turned towards David and whispered to him in sparkling light, "Beautiful. Isn't it? I mean, I was never super religious, but I always loved the whole Christmas vibe, ya know?”

“Me too. I was raised Catholic, so Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. Everyone else loved all the presents and whatnot, but I loved the beauty of it. All the decorations and the joyous atmosphere, the twinkle in people’s eyes, it’s all just...dazzling.”

They stood there in silence a moment longer, then Gwen jabbed her elbow into David’s side.

“ _ Ow _ ! Why?”

She looked at him with an impish grin, “Wanna get stupid drunk and watch dumb Hallmark movies?”

David rubbed at his side gingerly as the pain caused by the bony elbow slowly faded, “Of course, you didn’t have to bruise my organs to get me to agree.”

Gwen heckled him further, “Don’t be such a wuss, I barely touched you.”

“Tell that to the bruise forming on my kidneys.”

She looked at him with an impassive expression and placed her hands on her hips dramatically.

“ _ Wuss. _ ”

“ _ Jerk.” _

Gwen drew back comically, a hand flying against her forehead, “ _ Oh,  _ Mr. Alder! How your harsh words wound me so!”

David rolled his eyes, but a fond smile tugged at the ends of his mouth, “My apologies, Ms. Rivera. Twas’, not my intention to offend.” 

He extended his arm out to Gwen, who was still pouting, “Might I escort you to the couch for a round of cheesy Christmas movies and wine?”

Gwen hooked her arm around David's. Her back straightened formally as she replied in a terrible British accent, “I’d be delighted.”

\---------------------------------------------------------

Together, the two had binged their way through two terribly corny movies. They were about to change the channel when _The Polar Express_ came on and Tom Hanks’ soothing voice filled the room. They both simultaneously gasped, looking at each other with wide eyes, 

“ _ I love this movie! _ ”

They both flushed red while staring at each other, then burst into a fit of hushed giggles. The two had been slowly draining the bottle of Chardonnay David had kept hidden in the cabinet above the stove, along with some margaritas Gwen had expertly prepared. 

Gwen was definitely tipsy and she was pretty sure David was right there with her. She shakily poured them both another glass and began sipping at hers slowly. She watched in pure horror as David downed his in one swallow,

“David, what the  _ fuck _ ?”

He shrugged, oblivious to the apparent concern written across Gwen’s face. She then proceeded to frustratedly kick him in the leg when he didn't respond any further.

“What? I’ve got a high tolerance!”

Gwen sat up and leaned heavily on her palms in David’s direction. She slurred out in a slightly drunken manner, 

“ _ Bull. Shit. _ Slow down or you are going to get shit-faced.”

David threw his head back childishly and groaned, “Yes, mom.”

It surprised Gwen that David would end up being the dangerous drinker out of the two of them, she always thought of him more as the designated driver type of guy. She pondered into her full glass.

_ Huh, well w _ _ hatever I guess. Why should I be the buzz-kill? Max is sound asleep, might as well join enjoy myself. _

She then downed the rest of her wine and enjoyed the movie.

\-------------------------------------

“Okay then, smartie-pants. Would you rather...eat three-week-old egg salad made by Nikki...orrr...make out with the platypus.”

David and Gwen were both sitting on opposite ends of the couch, their feet tangling together in a mess of limbs. David watched as Gwen thought for a moment, holding her half-empty wine glass to her cheek, 

“Since when does Nikki know how to make egg salad?”

David kicked at her feet playfully, “It’s hypothetical!”

“Okay! Okay! Hmm...probably the platypus, less chance of contracting rabies.”

David snorted at the irony of the statement, “Fair point, I’d also rather take my chances with the platypus than _ Nikki’s _ cooking. Okay, your turn.”

The two had been tossing questions back and forth between each other for the past fifteen minutes. After the movie had finished and David had stopped crying, Gwen had muted the television. So now they were just playing games and teasing one another in the strangely drafty living room.

As if on cue, a gust of cold air from an unknown source tore through the two of them and they both shivered intensely. David watched as Gwen grabbed the blanket from underneath her and wrapped it tightly around her slender frame. Looking past her into the kitchen, David noticed the culprit that had caused such a chill. The kitchen window had blown open from the apparent storm raging outside. Both of them had been too caught up in the company of one another to notice.

“Crap, hold on let me close that. Hey, Gwen? Can you go grab some extra blankets from the closet in my room? I think there is a big comforter in there. It should be on the top shelf. I knew I should have checked the weather this morning.”

David quickly got up from the couch to close the open window. Once he had latched it tightly in place, he turned around to watch Gwen get up from the sofa. She swayed slightly getting up from the couch, her eyes glassy and slightly unfocused. His eyes followed her unsteady footwork as Gwen stumbled into his bedroom to retrieve the blanket. He now regretted showing off with the alcohol earlier, he just didn’t want her to think he was a wimp. He slapped a hand against his face and sighed deeply.

_ I should get a fire going. Hopefully, she’ll end up falling asleep before the alcohol catches up. From what I can tell, it only seems that she’s barely drunk, though her balance suggests otherwise. Who knows? Maybe she’s an absolute pro at handling her liquor and just has crappy balance. _

However, David decided it would be best to check on Max before building a fire. He’d been quiet for hours now. David carefully opened Max’s door as quietly as possible and peered inside the room to look at the boy. 

Max was lying on his stomach, entrapped in a web of blankets and hanging partially off the bed. His hood was up over his head, containing his dark curls, and a line of drool was slowly sliding down his cheek. Clutched tightly in Max’s left arm was Mr. Honeynuts, the other arm was dangling listlessly off the bed. His quiet snores filled the room.

_ Precious. _

David tiptoed inside the room and untangled Max from his sheets. He gently gathered the sleeping boy into one arm, while the other worked to fix Max’s bedding. Once his blankets were disentangled he laid Max back onto the bed and delicately pulled the covers up over the boy.

As he exited the room he heard the boy sigh contently in his sleep, causing a small smile to overcome David’s features. He then moved back into the living room, making his way to the fireplace. David worked quietly building a fire in the hearth, his mind went blank as he let muscle memory take over. A few minutes passed and David sat back onto the balls of his feet, admiring the steady flame burning atop the pile of scrap wood. That was when his ears twitched at the sound of rustling behind him. 

David turned and noticed a mass of blankets in the center of the couch, curiously he moved towards it. He was about to reach out his hand to examine the anomaly when the bundle of blankets lunged at him.

A warm body crashed into David and the two fell back onto the floor. David’s head hit the back of the other couch and he winced. He reached blindly to steady his attacker, who had effectively pinned him to the ground, and his hands met soft fabric and smooth skin. Crap, he’d forgotten he’d sent Gwen to get the blankets. Yep, he was definitely drunk. They both were.

Gwen was giggling happily, satisfied that her scare tactic had been so effective. She didn’t seem to notice that David was grabbing her waist and internally panicking. David’s heart was pounding frantically as Gwen shifted upright, straddling David’s waist. Her hands absently moved to lay atop David’s chest and she caught his gaze within her own. 

David stared up into drunken amethyst eyes that sparkled from the warm firelight. Gwen's cheeks flushed pink from the alcohol and her hair was tangled and messy from within the confines of her ponytail. Her chapped pink lips were slightly ajar and for a moment David wondered what they'd taste like.

_ She's so beautiful.  _

An endless moment went by and the two sat there, captured within the other’s gaze. His brain short-circuited when Gwen moved to cup one hand around David’s cheek, while the other landed next to David’s head. He did nothing but stare blankly as she cautiously leaned forward. 

David’s heart hammered inside his chest as Gwen’s nose bumped playfully against his, causing her to snicker. David felt his anxiety settle at the melodious noise and he looked up into equally nervous eyes. Another moment passed between them where no one moved. He could see the panic beginning to form underneath her expression. He realized he hadn’t responded at all to her advances. He had just sat there gaping like an idiot.

A wave of confidence and adrenaline flooded throughout David. Determined to alleviate her hastily forming anxieties, David looped his hand gently around the nape of Gwen’s neck. 

He let his eyes flutter shut as he bridged the gap between them.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *slam dunks self into dumpster*


	9. Samsungs are Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *offers an extra-long chapter as an apology*

Warm. His lips were so  _ warm _ .

He tasted exactly how she'd imagined in the dead of night where no one could hear her most private thoughts. 

Gwen let her hands wander their way into David’s hair, pulling and tugging every strand she could find. David tilted his head to let her deepen the kiss as they gently fell backward onto the floor.

“Mmph...Gwen..”

She purred in response at the sound of her name, swiping her tongue against his bottom lip, trying to gain access.

“Gwen...wait…”

Her foggy thoughts ignored his mumbled words as she fisted the fabric of his shirt, pulling it free from where it was tucked into his pants. She drunkenly began fumbling at the buttons of his shirt. David froze, and gently removed his hands from where they had been resting on her hips. Gwen opened her eyes and looked down at David’s flushed face.

“What? Did I do something wrong?”

David’s eyes widened, “N-No! Of course not! It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s just…”

Gwen shifted, removing herself from her position atop of David. She folded her long limbs underneath her as she sat down next to David. David leaned his weight onto his elbow and looked frantically into her watery eyes, 

“Gwen, we’re really drunk right now. This isn’t right. We can’t...we just...can’t.”

Gwen quickly wiped her eyes, clearing her face of any lingering emotion. She got up from the floor and said in a dead voice,

“Fine. I’m going to bed then. Goodnight David.”

David couldn’t force himself to go after her as she disappeared into his room. He fell back onto the ground and dug the heel of his palms at his eyes. He sighed defeatedly.

_ Frick. _

\----------------------------------------

"Look to the right. Very good. Now to the left."

"You're doing great, Max. Now follow my finger back to the left."

Max complied, struggling to carefully follow the wobbly finger across his vision. His head was pounding from the effort, but he'd be damned if he didn't pass this examination with flying colors. 

_ She has to clear me. Today. If she doesn't, I'm going to actually kill someone. _

"BAH!"

A rubber teething toy soared across the room, aiming itself directly at Max. Without thinking, he reflexively caught it. The culprit sitting in Gwen's lap squealed in delight, amused by his little game. His chubby legs kicked without direction as his mother gently scolded him.

"Oliver! That wasn't very nice."

Max snorted involuntarily, smiling at the dark-haired child with big blue eyes. The toddler screamed happily in response and began squirming to free himself of Gwen's grasp.

_ Little fucker might have just saved my ass. _

Dr. Kane sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose,

"Sorry we had to bring little Ollie, we couldn't find a babysitter for today.”

She suddenly tapped twice on Max’s nose, just like she had done a week ago. This time, however, Max only flinched, blinking twice. Dr. Kane smiled,

"Hmm...well you seem to have the majority of your reflexes back, otherwise that chew toy earlier would’ve nailed you in the face.”

That brought a smile out of the majority of the group, though the tense atmosphere still hung precariously in the air. It had been two days, and they still wouldn’t look at each other.

Max looked past Dr. Kane to Gwen and David. Gwen was focusing the majority of her attention on the writhing toddler, while David looked abnormally uncomfortable in his recliner. Dr. Hopper was shifting her eyes curiously between the two of them. It seemed she too, was able to detect the strain in their relationship.

Dr. Kane scribbled down random gibberish onto her notepad. Maybe the letters made sense to her, but to Max, it looked as if she was writing down hieroglyphics. Nonsensical and without purpose.

Dr. Kane tapped her pen twice atop her clipboard then looked up at Max. He swallowed hard and tried not to appear too hopeful. She merely smiled at his pitiful expression and stretched out her arm to tap Max’s shoulder, as if she was knighting him. Max stared, confused, at her actions and was about to question them when she spoke,

“Alright kid, you’re cleared to get out of bed.”

_ Clever. _

“YES!” Max pumped his fist into the air, a rush of excitement consuming him at the moment. Oliver looked up at him, startled by his sudden reaction. Gwen had put him down after he had pulled hard at her hair. The chubby toddler bear-crawled over to where Max was sitting and hoisted himself up on wobbly feet to grip the end of the couch.

“YAH! YAH!”

Max chuckled at the toddler’s imitation of him. The small boy had his arms stretched out at Max, signaling his mother to gently hoist the baby onto the couch. Oliver wasted no time climbing into Max’s lap. He giggled wildly, grabbing his tiny feet as he began rocking back and forth. Max stiffened, he wasn’t used to children under five and had absolutely no clue how to interact with one. 

Dr. Kane laughed and gently ruffled both of the boys' hair. She turned her attention to Max, saying, “I need to check over some things with the adults, think you can handle him for a few minutes?”

Max looked at the toddler, scanning his goofy expression for any sign that he might cause mischief. He looked back at Emilie, 

“Yeah, I think I can handle him.”

Dr. Kane ruffled his hair once more for good measure and gently set Oliver on the floor so he wouldn’t fall. Max followed and knelt down by the toddler. He watched as all the adults filed out of the room to talk out on the front porch.

Then they were alone, just Max and a baby no older than eight months.

Max stared at the baby for a long moment, unsure of what he should be doing.

_ Should I play with him? What do babies even play? Definitely not video games… _

Max reached to grab the discarded teething toy that was lying underneath the coffee table. He wiped it clean of drying slobber and made a point of showing it to Oliver. When the baby didn’t take it, he gently tossed it a few feet.

“Okay, Oliver. Go get the ring!”

Oliver tilted his head in confusion, not quite sure what Max was asking. He instead attempted to mimic the deadpanned expression Max was giving him. A light bulb flickered into Max’s head, as he suddenly had an idea on how to entertain this kid. 

Max hooked his index fingers into the corner of his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and crossed his eyes. The result was hilarious as the baby was overcome with the type of insane laughter that jolted his entire body. Oliver slumped over on his side as he squealed. Impressed with himself, Max placed his hand against his own mouth and began making farting noises.

Oliver continued in his laughter while trying to recreate the noise himself. His version of the raspberry consisted of mostly spit.

"Ew! Oliver, you're getting slobber everywhere. Gross!"

Max wiped at his face and used his other hand as a shield from the incoming spit. Oliver pulled himself up into a sitting position and stared at Max with curious blue eyes. Max noted that he looked as if he was trying to burp on command. His cheeks were red and his dark brown eyebrows furrowed into a concentrated expression,

"GOH! YUH GOH!"

Amazed at the toddler, Max attempted to teach the child to enunciate better,

"Gross."

"GOH."

"No, Gross."

"GOH! GOH!"

Exhausted by the lack of progress, Max relented and let the child babble nonsensically.  _ Maybe he's just not old enough yet. Plus, he's starting to give me a headache. _

"What on Earth are you goofballs up to?"

_ Oh, thank fuck. _

David entered the room and sat himself in between the two of them. He looked... exhausted. Which was alarming considering it was David. Even on bad days, David always managed to look at least somewhat energetic. Today, however, it seemed he had taken a beating from the world. Max felt his stomach twist with guilt. Had he possibly done something to cause this?

_ Probably not, considering how he and Gwen have been avoiding one another lately. Though I probably could have been kinder to him these past few days. Maybe then he wouldn't look so pathetic. _

Max pushed the thoughts from his mind and answered David's question,

"Just teaching Oliver some basic swears for the future. Gotta start them early or they might pick on him in school."

David looked appalled at the mere thought of a child younger than Max using such foul language,

"M-Max! That's highly inappropriate! You shouldn't swear in front of children!"

"But look at the results! Oliver! Say gross!"

Oliver's attention was immediately caught by the mere mention of his new favorite word. He wasted no time in his recital,

"GOH! Go-...GOH!"

"Oh."

Max snickered at David's dumbfounded expression. He began relentlessly poking fun at David. It was all he could do to try to cheer David up, and it seemed to be working. Even so, he couldn't seem to get his eyes to sparkle as they normally did. It was frustrating. A question lingering in Max's mind bubbled it's way out before he could stop it.

"Have you fixed things with Gwen yet?"

David's face went crimson. His hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly as he answered,

"Oh, you caught that? It's nothing really. We just had an argument the other day."

Max thought hard for a moment, trying to recall any hazy memory of them fighting. He found none.

"Did you try apologizing? That always worked when either Neil or Nikki were mad at me."

"That's the problem. She won't let me even speak to her, much less apologize. I think that I might just have to wait and let her temper cool. Then perhaps, she might let me apologize."

"Well, don't take too long, idiot. Christmas is in like, two days. And you both better not be acting like kicked puppies when it arrives."

David raised his hands up in defeat, "Okay, okay, I hear you. I promise it'll be sorted out by then. In the meantime, I want you to focus on feeling better. We can't have you sick on Christmas Day."

"So it's a deal? You fix your shit with Gwen and I'll get my shit together?"

David gave him a half-hearted smile and extended his hand to Max,

"Deal."

\----------------------------------

"So the thirteenth is the move out date? Perfect...uh huh. Yeah. Um, the moving van won't be there until the fifteenth so I can spend the fourteenth deep cleaning the house. No, you don't need to stay for that! I'm sure the boys can help me with that just fine. Yeah? Great, then it's settled! Thank you so much, Devin! You too. Alright, see you then."

Gwen set her phone down on the coffee table and allowed herself to bask in her success. She had three job interviews lined up in the next few weeks and she had just successfully closed on her new house. Overall, this week had been a pure success. The only problem left was…

"Hey, Gwen?"

_ Yeah, that. _

Gwen had done her damndest to avoid David for the past four days. Granted, she tried to be as polite as possible. Her escape attempts had ranged from fake phone calls to feigning sleep, but she really couldn't put it off any longer. She had to confront the problem. She had to face the rejection.

"Yes...David?"

David looked so vulnerable at that moment, as if the slightest bit of anger could shatter him. She had never seen him like this and it made her heart clench with guilt. She needed to be gentle but still maintain a strong front. _Yeah, that makes so much sense, Gwen._

"Gwen...I just...I-I'm  _ so _ sorry, Gwen. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that-"

" _ David."  _ She interjected, "It's okay, really. We were drunk, it didn't mean anything. Seriously, don't beat yourself up over it. It's probably for the best if we forget it ever happened. For the sake of our friendship."

As much as she wanted to tell the truth, she knew she couldn't risk the friendship they had built. It was too valuable. Too precious. They were best friends and Gwen knew she couldn't ruin that.

Gwen watched as a flood of unidentifiable emotions washed over David. She waited as David shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed...different. Almost robotic.

"Okay, Gwen. If that's what you want. Then for the sake of our friendship, _let's just forget about it_."

\-----------------------------------------

The warm red and orange flames danced chaotically and endlessly, fully captivating Max. He sat a few feet from the fire, his arms crossed underneath him as his chin sat atop them. The pillow below him elevated him enough that he was given a perfect view of the mesmerizing performance. 

It was Christmas Eve. 

The tree that Gwen and David had assembled had been fully decorated by the three of them. Instead of the typical star, David had fished out an antique bow that he claimed had been from his grandparent’s wedding. The bow resembled that of a cheap gift-wrapping bow that one might stick onto a gift. This one, however, was made of a stiff white satin with golden flakes peppered along the edges. That, in addition to the countless random ornaments that had been gathered periodically throughout the years, was what consisted of the pine tree before him.

It was _truly _beautiful.

Though Max had never really had a traditional Christmas, he had always loved the unique style presented in every Christmas tree. In a way, a Christmas tree symbolizes a family's history, with each ornament representing an individual memory torn from the pages of time. The tree topper, possibly, being the most valuable of all.

_ Well, maybe it just depends on the family. _

The rest of the house had been decorated in a similar fashion, with traces of the jolly home invader lingering in every corner. David had presented Max with his own custom stocking earlier that day, and Gwen had brought her own. Together, the three mismatched stockings lined the mantle. It was ironic how true to life they represented each individual person. They were mismatched and out of place, but somehow managed to fit together perfectly.

_ Jesus fucking Lord. This concussion is making me all sappy. Ugh. _

Max pulled himself from his thoughts and turned to David and Gwen. They were on separate couches. A detail that dug hard at Max. It was weirder than it should have been.

"Hey, kiddo? Ready to open the present from Gwen and me?"

"Shouldn't you wait to give me my present tomorrow? Isn't that how this usually works?"

David shook his head, "No of course not! Those presents are from Santa Claus, silly! These are from us!"

Max stared at the innocent expression that was plastered across David's face. He could see Gwen holding back a smile out of the corner of his eye.

_ How fucking old does he think I am? ...Fuck it. I might as well play along. _

Max moved from his spot by the fire to sit next to David. He watched as David reached behind the couch to grab a small neatly wrapped box. The wrapping paper had platypuses on them and was expertly tied with a dark blue bow.  _ Cute. _

He carefully took the box from David. He sat there for a moment, unsure if he should just start unwrapping it or not. His question was answered when Max spotted Gwen gently nod her head at him.

Max delicately unwrapped the box, carefully trying not to rip anything. His Dad would kill him if he destroyed it.

_ Wait. I'm not there. I'm at home. I'm safe. He can't hurt me anymore. _

So, Max started angrily tearing at the paper, quickly fishing out the box underneath. The box gave no indication as to what the present might be. So with steady hands, he delicately lifted the top off.

Inside the box, was a smartphone. It was wrapped in a smaller version of the blue ribbon, David had used for the box.

_ He...got me...a phone? Why would he spend this much money on me? Fuck. _

Emotion welled inside of Max's throat. He did his best to fight back but it didn't stop a small bit from leaking out when he spoke,

"No one has ever spent this much money on me. So... um, thanks. Seriously, thank you for this. It..um...means a lot to me."

He didn't want to see David's reaction to his pitiful response, so instead, he stares at the spotless screen of the Android phone. It was a newer model as well. _Wow._

Max felt a hand gently rest atop his shoulder, so he cautiously looked up at David. He was smiling at him. The sparkle was finally back.

"You're welcome, Max. Merry Christmas."

"Well, kid? What are you waiting for? Turn that fucker on!"

Max looked up at Gwen who had _thankfully_ killed the emotional tension. He fumbled with the ribbon and held the power button on the phone. He waited as it quickly flickered to life.

It appeared it had already been set up for him, because there were already notifications appearing on the generic background of the screen. Specifically, there were two notifications. 

Max's breath hitched in his throat and the tears threatened to spill over.

** _Neil: merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah, max. _ **

** _Nikki: HAPPY HOLIDAYS SHITHEAD. _ **

\------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the night was happily spent catching up with his best friends. Though David had eventually sent him into his room around midnight, that hadn’t stopped him from continuing to text Nikki and Neil well into the early dawn. God, he had missed them. And it seemed the feeling was mutual, with threats extending from both of them that if he ever vanished again they’d be more than happy to kick his ass.

Max said his goodnights to both of them in the group chat they had created, around five in the morning. He had heard shuffling in the den around three and guessed that “Santa” had come and gone. He didn’t look to find out, as much as the curiosity egged at him to peek. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise as he’d done so frequently in the past. Instead, he fell asleep with a warm and fuzzy feeling overflowing his entire being. He’d never felt so loved in his life.

David opened the door to wake Max around eleven later that day. He slowly trudged out of bed, cloaking himself with his warm comforter as he walked into the living room. Any lingering sleep was firmly knocked out of him by the numerous presents lying underneath the tree. 

_ Holy shit… _

Gwen walked over to him, looking just as tired, and handed him a fresh cup of coffee.

“You’re gonna need this.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

Any expectation Max had of Christmas had been absolutely _decked_. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected so many gifts. Granted, none of it was as expensive as his phone but Max could care less. He had gotten piles of sweatshirts, pants, socks, and other articles of clothing that he needed. He had received another pair of shoes and David had even knitted a tiny blue sweatshirt for Mr. Honeynuts. Though his favorite gift had to have been the one he figured Gwen had chosen. Inside the biggest box of all was an NES, complete with a pile of classic games like Mario and Zelda, and he fucking loved it.

The rest of the morning was spent demolishing David at MarioKart and losing horribly to Gwen in Mortal Kombat. David had passed out on the couch after the three had finished a waffle breakfast. Gwen and Max were in the midst of a tiebreaker round, when the doorbell rang.

Max put down his controller, “I’ll get it! Stay put, I’m totally kicking your ass next round.”

“We’ll see about that, short stack. I’m gonna win that Hershey candy cane one way or another.”

Max rolled his eyes at the taunt and got up from the blanket-covered floor. Not wanting to take too much time since he was anxious to continue playing, he practically ran to the door. He carefully undid the deadbolt and turned the handle, letting the door swing wide open to the figure before him.

Max’s heart stopped and his blood ran cold as he came face to face with the man he’d prayed he would never have to lay eyes on again.

  
“Long time no see,  _ son _ .”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun Dun DUNN
> 
> Sorry for the cliffhanger but it had to be done. It was getting a bit too cozy in here.
> 
> Apologies to all my gwenvid fans! But ya know, slow-burn is slow-burn for a reason.
> 
> Baby Oliver is based on my actual brother from when he was that age. And yes, GOH was in fact his first word. sigh.
> 
> The whole Christmas tree spill was actually very meaningful to me as my own Christmas tree is filled with mementos from my family so I view it as a very sacred and personal thing. The bow that I mentioned comes from my parent's wedding. They had beautiful satin bows lining the pews at their wedding and they saved one, so that's been the Christmas tree topper my entire life.
> 
> I'm not gonna lie this chapter was a pain in the ass to write, I've never written romance before so that's probably why it took so long, family fluff is a lot easier. This fic is actually the first thing I've written in a long time. I'm more of an artist so I always thought I could never write anything decent. But the response I've received has absolutely blown me away.
> 
> SO THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I really couldn't write this without you guys. See you next chapter!!!


	10. Oh, Father tell me, do we get what we deserve?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay folks! College has been consuming every ounce of my time. I am always going to try to get one chapter out a week, but every now and then I might be a bit late. Thank you so much for all your kind and patient comments! You guys really are the best.
> 
> Warning: If you aren't comfortable with Christianity or religion in general or just don't feel like reading a section about it, then begin skipping from "Please for the love of God..." to "Once she had finished"
> 
> It's not condemning or bad-mouthing anyone in any way. I included it because I thought the concept of Gwen struggling with belief in God would be interesting.

The shock of staring into his father’s cold dark eyes sent Max stumbling backward, causing him to crash into the ground.

“N-No...No..You..”

His father took the opportunity to step through the threshold and into his house. Into Max’s safe space. His _home_. Max scrambled further backward on all fours, his back hit the wall and he realized he had unwittingly trapped himself. He was cornered and alone with his abuser.

_ This cannot be happening. _ _ This has to be a nightmare. He can't be here, he can't. _

“Speechless, I see. Now, Maxwell, that’s no way to greet your father. Stand up straight and look me in the eyes like a man. I raised you with more respect than this.”

_ Bad. This is bad. I-I...I need...I-...Dav-... _

“DAVID!” Max screamed. His father grabbed Max by the collar of his sweatshirt, hoisting him high into the air. A pathetic whimper choked out from Max's throat as his father violently slapped him across the face with his free hand, making Max's vision swim with stars. His father brought him close to his face and Max gagged at the toxic smell of booze reeking from his mouth.

“Now, do I have your undivided attention, Maxwell? Good. Listen here, you ungrateful wretch, you are coming home with me, now. This whole extended sleepover bullshit is _done_. Finished. When we get home, I’ll make sure that this lesson is permanently etched into t**_hat USELESS, FEEBLE, and goddamn WORTHL--_ **

His threat was cut short as a figure slammed into Max’s father sending them both into the wall. Max took the opportunity to kick his father in his gout belly with all his might, and the thick sausage fingers released their hold. Max scrambled backward, putting as much distance between him and his attacker as possible. Looking up, he nearly cried when he saw who had rescued him. In a dangerously low voice, David growled,

“Get the _ fuck _ away from MY kid.”

David had an arm shoved under his father’s throat, pinning him to the wall. And then, for the first time in his life, Max saw fear in his father’s eyes. However, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone and replaced with an expression Max was intimately familiar with. _Rage_. 

Despite the now broiling fury that radiated off of the broad and daunting intruder, David appeared unfazed and unimpressed by the intimidating strength of his foe. On the contrary, David looked absolutely feral and ready to murder Max's father. He wasn't sure if David was underestimating his father, or if his father was underestimating David. Frankly, Max didn’t want to find out.

Thankfully, he didn't have to. At that moment, Gwen appeared and instantly hoisted him into her arms and out the front door. Max latched his arms around her neck, holding on to Gwen as tightly as he could as they bolted down the steps. Even though a loud ringing was filling Max's ears, he could still clearly hear loud and odd banging sounds emitting from the house. After that, Max didn’t hear or feel much of anything. It wasn’t until Gwen was trying to pry away his arms that he realized they were in the car, driving away from the house, away from his father, away from Dav-

“Gwen! Wait we can’t leave him! Go back! You have to go back! We can’t leave David!”

Gwen wasn’t listening, she had her phone pressed up against her ear. Her mouth was moving but he didn’t hear words. It didn’t seem like she’d heard him at all. Had he even spoke? He was sure he had. Then why? Flashing blue and red lights sped past the car, headed in the direction of the house.

His mind went dark again.

Suddenly, he was buckled and in his seat, a jacket was draped around his shoulders. They weren’t driving anymore and the sun was still high in the sky. Max felt like he was floating, everything around him was disoriented and unfocused. It almost felt fake, like he was dreaming or watching a scene in a movie.

All he could do was stare blankly at the dashboard of the truck. He could have been sitting there for hours or seconds and Max wouldn’t have been able to tell. _ What is happening to me? What’s going on? _

Then the dashboard vanished and Max found himself sitting in the back of the truck. The jacket was gone and replaced with a warm blanket. A figure sat in front of him, unmoving and unfocused. Max stared at the figure trying to make sense of the strange shapes and colors that pieced together a perplexing composition. A puzzle he couldn’t solve, not that he cared anyway. The figure moved with caution, their movements slow and gentle as if they were attempting to soothe a scared animal. 

Something soft and warm was placed into his hands. Max willed his hands to move to examine the object. He felt around, grabbing the soft fur and fluffy edges of the plush item, mapping out in his mind what countless possibilities of the item he was holding. He was having a difficult time with what probably should have been a simple task. The figure wasn’t moving anymore, they sat there patiently waiting for a response. Their mouth, however, was moving in a repetitive motion. He forgot the object and stared at the mouth, trying to decipher whatever code they were giving. Over and over, the figure seemed to repeat one word.

His eyes lit up with familiarity. He recognized that word. That word held meaning. It was a very important word that the figure seemed hellbent on relaying to him.

_ Max_.

He knew that word. That was a name. _ That’s my name. _

The figure spoke again and this time, he could hear the disoriented echo of his name. He recognized the patient and calming voice and the figure slowly morphed into focus. A woman with long brown hair in a tight bun sat before him. She looked very professional even though she was dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and yoga pants. _ Wait. I know her. _

The woman repeated his name, this time it was louder and clearer than before. His hearing was slowly beginning to return, along with his vision. At the sound of his name, Max turned his head to meet the worried hazel eyes of Dr. Hopper. The sound of her relief echoed throughout Max’s frail mind and Max suddenly understood why all his senses had suddenly jumped ship.

_ Shock. I’m in shock. Right? _

“Max? Can you hear me?”

He jumped at the sudden clarity of her voice as all his senses slammed back into him at once. Dr. Hopper raised her hands in a motion that was probably meant to comfort Max but instead only caused him to skitter back into the rear panel of the truck bed. 

Dr. Hopper lowered her hands, inching them slowly back into her lap but making sure they were completely visible to Max. After that, she didn’t move, letting Max take the opportunity to calm himself down before trying to speak to him. 

But Max had zero desire to make conversation right now, he wanted everyone gone. It was all just too much. Max noticed when he hit the backboard that the sliding window of the truck was slightly ajar. Once he was certain that no one was going to inexplicably grab him, he shrugged his blanket off, hastily slide the window open and squirmed his scrawny body through the tight space.

As he landed on the soft seat cushions he heard Dr. Hopper sigh loudly. Max dropped from the backseats onto the clean floor of the truck. He carefully curled himself into a ball hiding in the space between the front and back seats. For a few brief moments, Max was alone in his hazy and jumbled thoughts. Then Max jolted when he heard the truckbed groan in response to someone moving around. It was hard to tell whether or not someone had climbed into the truck bed, climbed out of it, or if Dr. Hopper had just moved around. 

He turned his body toward the back of the truck, attempting to peak out the ventilation holes under the backseats. He was surprised when a nail-bitten finger poked through one of the openings. The finger wiggled around moving like a caterpillar would over a small rock. Max was unable to stop the choked laugh from exiting his body.

“Hey, Max? I have a friend of yours who wants to give you the biggest of hugs.”

Max cringed away, he’d rather jump out the car window then have anyone touch him right now. His nonresponsive answer seemed to communicate his thoughts effectively as Dr. Hopper quickly rephrased her sentence,

“Sorry, this friend isn’t a person. I know you don’t want anyone right now, but is it okay if Mr. Bear says hello?”

“Excuse you! That’s Mr. Honeynuts to you.” Max said without thinking. Mr. Bear was a dumbass name and he hated it when someone referred to his bear that way. 

“_Give him…_please.”

“Okay Max, I’m going to push him through the window you climbed through. Do you want the blanket too?”

“Yeah...thanks.”

Max waited patiently for a moment, wondering what was taking so long, and then was suddenly pummeled by a large and heavy blanket and one stuffed bear. He quickly pulled his oldest and most loyal friend to his chest and burrowed himself under the blanket. He curled up with half his body underneath the surprisingly clean seats and let his body try to calm down. After a few minutes, he heard the truck creak again and looking toward the ventilation holes he saw Dr. Hopper, now bundled in a blanket over her own, look at him. 

“How are you feeling now, Max?”

Max shrugged under the blanket. “What happened? My brain is still foggy from everything. But, I do know something bad happened so don’t try to bullshit me.” He watched as Dr. Hopper turned onto her back to look at the sky, she took a deep breath and then spoke,

“Max, how much do you remember?”

He thought for a long moment, trying his best to sort through the hazy and jumbled memories. After a few minutes of intense thought, his head was pounding. Max let out a sigh of frustration, “I don’t know. It’s all just a confusing mess. Someone was yelling, I think? Then a loud crash happened and then I was being carried outside. I kept hearing crashing noises even after that.”

“Do you remember what the voices said? Or what they sounded like?”

Thinking about the loud voice filled Max with fear. The voice was familiar, but it was not a comforting voice.

“Angry. They were really angry...at me, I think.” Max inched closer to the ventilation hole to look at Rachelle, she had a look of sympathy written across her expression. “Dr. Hopper? What happened?”

Max watched as Hopper turned to face him, “Max, before I tell you what occurred this afternoon, I need you to understand that you are safe and no one is going to take you away, okay?” Max studied the serious expression Hopper was giving and understood that she wasn’t joking or trying to trick him. Max nodded.

“Your father somehow managed to track you down and he tried to kidnap you.”

_ The door. I opened the door. **Idiot.** _

“He was already drunk when he arrived. He grabbed you and then David heard you scream. David saw that you were in danger and protected you. The crash you are referring to was most likely David attacking Mr. Thakur. That’s when Gwen grabbed you and carried you to the car. After that, she called the police and drove you to my house. At which point, you were already in shock.”

Suddenly, Max remembered opening the door to stare into the cold, dark, and nightmarish eyes of the man who had been the source of his misery for the majority of his life. He crawled out from his spot under the seats and opened the side door. He bunched the blanket into his arms and set it down on the seat. He gently placed Mr. Honeynuts on top and hopped out of the car.

_ David. David attacked my dad. He protected me. That bang though...It didn’t sound like...wait. The flashing lights...those were ambulance lights. _

_ “_Rachelle? Why was an ambulance there? There were multiple banging noises, the other ones didn’t sound like the first.”

Hopper looked confused and asked, “Max, how many bangs did you hear? Did they sound like a textbook hitting tile?”

“_Where is Gwen?” _

He didn’t think she would answer that question while she was trying to interrogate him. However, the lingering glance she gave towards the house gave him enough of a clue and he was halfway across the yard before Dr. Hopper could even yell at him to come back. He didn’t have time. He needed to find Gwen. She had to have heard the noises as well, perhaps she could clear up the holes in Max’s memory. Max could feel his body shaking in fear and stubborn denial because he knew he was lying to himself.

_ You. Are. Wasting. Time. _ ** _You already know what the sound was, Max._ **

_ **“Gunshots.”** _

——————————————————-

“Do NOT try to tell me to calm the fuck down, buddy! Now tell me where David Alder is RIGHT NOW or I swear your ass is grass! FUCKING _GODDAMMIT_!”

Gwen angrily threw her phone across the room in a fit of rage. This was the third time she had called the police station and the third time she’d been hung up on. Apparently, officers can’t just hand out the locations of people. She was getting nowhere and David still wasn’t answering his cell. The thought of something bad happening to him made her stomach twist violently.

Gwen shook the possibility out of her mind and went to go retrieve her phone from the other side of the room. It was a good thing she had purchased a virtually indestructible cellphone case. Despite it being hurled across the room it was relatively unscathed. She opened up the home screen to check her messages and recent calls.

_ Still nothing. David, where are you? Please, for the love of God, be okay. If not for me, then for Max, be okay. _

It had been a long time since she thought about God. It was always a sore subject for her, especially at family dinners and holidays. Events where relatives would ask uncomfortable questions about the solidity of her faith. Maybe, it was the reason she hadn't picked up a Bible in ten years.

She knew David believed in God. It had touched her deeply when David told her that it didn't matter that she was skeptical about God, he would always be her friend. She thought about prayer. She had seen David pray before and she thought it odd at first, but over time it became comforting to her. On warm summer evenings at Camp, she had witnessed multiple instances of David kneeling at the foot of his bed and talk softly to himself long into the night. It was strangely beautiful watching him pray for the well-being of friends and family, for the strength to handle his rambunctious campers. And on one occasion, where she assumed David had thought her sound asleep she had heard him pray for her. But he didn't pray that she would believe in religion, instead, he prayed about her anxiety. He asked for God to take the burden from her. He had prayed for her pain to go away.

If David could believe in such a powerful thing as prayer, then maybe God could forgive her for praying just this once. 

"Querido Padre celestial," she began. "Sé que no has sabido nada de mí en mucho tiempo. Sé que no merezco el perdón, pero no lo pido. Todo lo que pido es que protejas a David y lo mantengas a salvo. Él cree en ti, así que por favor déjalo estar bien. Es el hombre más amable y amoroso que he conocido. Así que por favor protege a su hijo. Amén."

Once she had finished, Gwen let herself lean heavily against the wall, allowing the traumatic events of the day to sink in. She felt her knees give out as she slowly slid down the wall and onto the ground. A brief moment turned into long minutes as Gwen finally broke down. Her shoulders shook and her breathing became increasingly irregular, coming out in short, choked gasps. She let out a mournful sob and buried her face in her hands. 

She stayed like that for a long time, as every bit of anger and sorrow she had been holding back was laid out in front of her in a pitiful display of anguish and despair. All the torturous thoughts of “what if?” that she had been trying so desperately to keep out, broke through her defenses and consumed her.

_ What if? What if he’s not okay? What if he’s injured? What if he’s… _

Her plaguing anxiety was cut short when the front door slammed and loud, frantic footsteps echoed throughout the house. The steps drew closer to the office she had been pacing around in for the past hour. The door swung open, revealing a disheveled and distressed-looking ten-year-old.

Gwen didn’t even have a chance to react before Max roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and yelled, “Gwen. We need to go back to the house, _now_.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then used the back of her sleeve to wipe away any traces of her pathetic blubbering. Gwen proceeded to grab the boy and pulled him tightly to her chest, relieved that he was no longer in a state of shell-shock. 

Gwen was surprised when Max began to struggle to break free from her embrace. She quickly released her hold on the boy and allowed him to stagger away from her. Using one hand, she gently cupped his injured cheek and looked into those sad aqua eyes that bore heavy traces of panic and fear.

_ I startled him. He’s going to be jumpy for a while so I need to watch myself. The last thing I want to do is scare him. _

She let Max take a moment to mentally slap himself out of his mind. Once his breathing relaxed, she asked him what he was talking about, “Max? What is it? Why do you want to go back to the house? Your father could still be there.”

“Gwen! David is still in there! He could be hurt, didn’t you hear those weird popping noises?”

Gwen rummaged through her memory and fished out a vague recollection of what Max was describing. She too had been panicking when she was carrying Max away from the house. The look David had given her before confronting Max’s father had given her the courage and the determination to swoop in and pick up Max. 

It was strange how she had known exactly what David was thinking in a brief moment of locked eyes. Those mesmerizing teal eyes, laced with fear, had screamed at her, _ “You have to run. Take Max and run. You can do this. I believe in you. I trust you.” _

Everything after that moment had been a blur of adrenaline. Despite this, she did recall strange noises, ones that differed from the deafening crash of David slamming into Max’s father. A wave of fear crashed over Gwen as she suddenly understood what Max was trying to tell her. The noises she had been hearing were gunshots, multiple gunshots.

_ Oh God, no. _

“Gwen, we need to go. Now.”

She nodded blankly and allowed Max to tug her along by her jacket, towing her out of the house and to the car. She vaguely recalled nodding solemnly toward Dr. Hopper as she got into the truck and jammed the key into the ignition. The old truck sputtered to life and she let muscle memory take control as they drove, speeding towards the house. It was only when Max asked for her phone that she shook herself out the trance-like state she had been in. 

“What, why?”

“I’m going to call the police and try to figure out where David is,” Max said, typing in Gwen’s password, one that she definitely didn’t remember giving to him. 

“Max, I’ve been trying that for over an hour, they won’t tell me where he is. They aren’t allowed to give away the location of someone unless they are family.”

Max looked at her pointedly, as if he was trying to remind her of something that should be obvious. Finally, after a few moments of awkward staring, he sighed, “Gwen, I’m his foster son, that’s pretty close to family.”

“Oh, right.” _Duh._

She watched as Max rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the phone. She forced herself to focus on the road as she listened to Max dial the police station.

“Hello? Hi, my name is Max Thakur, can you help me?”

“I’m ten. Uh-huh. A bad man came to my house and tried to hurt me. My dad attacked him while my mom carried me out of the house and away from the bad man.”

Gwen’s brain short-circuited at Max referring to her as his mom. She felt an oddly warm well up in her chest as a wobbly smile spread across her face.

“My mom and I are safe, but we can’t get in contact with my dad. No, ma’am, I don’t know if they are still at my house. My dad’s name is David Alder. Okay….yeah? Oh…no ma’am.”

They were getting close to the house and Gwen was beginning to see bright blue and red lights flashing atop police cars. The cars increased dramatically in number the closer the got to the house.

“Yes ma’am, I can wait. Promise you’ll call back?”

She had to hand it to the kid, he was really good at playing the role of an innocent child. It seemed that he already had the operator wrapped around his dainty fingers.

Max set the phone down as he took in the sight of their home, completely swarming with cops. He seemed to have spotted something and Gwen felt her gut clench tightly with anxiety. The moment Gwen parked the car near the house across the street, Max opened the car door and bolted out into the road.

“Max! Get back here!” Gwen struggled to unbuckle her seat-belt and practically fell out of the car trying to catch the sprinting child. 

But Max was already lost in the sea of concerned neighbors, cops, and paramedics.

_ Shit. _

——————————————————

Max didn’t quite know if he was headed in the right direction, but the moment he spotted the ambulance his legs took off without him. He could still hear Gwen frantically shouting his name as he weaved his way through the crowd of people. As he ducked under legs and dodged police officers who tried to stop him, he spotted the ambulance. He was halfway there when a pair of lanky arms shot out and wrapped tightly around his midsection.

_ Nope. No, no, no, bad touch, bad touch. Don't touch me. _

He kicked and struggled violently against whoever had just inexplicably plucked him from the ground. Max’s breathing grew frantic as his brain began panicking, “Let me go! Get off!” He managed to elbow the stranger hard in the gut, causing them to let out a muffled, “_Oomph."_

Much to Max’s dismay, the stranger did not release their hold on Max, not even slightly. Not one to be deterred, Max continued in his efforts to squirm and fight to break free. Then, the stranger started running with him in his arms, away from the ambulance. That was when Max started screaming.

“Gwen! Gwen, help! Someone’s got me! Help me!”

The stranger slowed to a stop and began attempting to calm the distressed boy with a voice that made Max’s heart seemingly stop. Max’s breathing hitched high in his throat and the man finally released him, setting him down gently onto the ground.

Max had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, as he tensed his shoulders and turned to face the man. Max felt a warm hand brush the sweaty and tangled curls out of his face in a simple and natural gesture. The hand moved to rest on his shoulder and then the man spoke,

“Max, open your eyes. It’s me.”

He didn’t dare. He knew he would cry if he did, though he was probably going to cry regardless. 

Instead, Max chose to rush blindly into the arms of the only person in the world who would make him his favorite chocolate pancakes at eight o’clock in the morning. The only person who would read to him until he’d fallen fast asleep, which sometimes took hours. The only person in the world who would knit a perfect sweater for Max’s bear, even though he had no idea how to knit. The only person on this shithole planet who would willingly choose to foster someone as fucked up as Max.

Max ran right into the arms of the only father figure who had ever given a damn about him. 

Into the warm, safe arms of David.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought about leaving y'all on a cliffhanger, I really did. 
> 
> You guys didn't really think I would kill or gravely injure David, right? C'mon, I'm not that heartless. 
> 
> Just remember, we still don't know where Max's father is, hehehe. It's not over yet.
> 
> Also, if you speak Spanish and find something wrong with Gwen's prayer please let me know! I don't speak it, so I google translated it and let my boyfriend read over it. He said it was fine but a second opinion never hurts!


	11. Ok, Boomer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you accept late work? heh.

David allowed the boy to practically tackle him to the ground, in fact, he welcomed it. He wrapped his good arm around Max and buried his face into his wild dark curls, letting himself be overwhelmed by the relief that his kid was safe.

As he got up from the cold asphalt, Max practically latched himself onto him, much like a koala would, as David hoisted him into the air with one arm. He gently wrapped the other around Max’s back, ignoring the shooting pain that spiked up his arm. 

For a long moment, he stood there, holding the greatest decision he’d ever made tightly against his chest. He didn’t care that his arm was screaming in pain, or that he was freezing his butt out here in the brutal Maine weather. The only thing that mattered was that Max was safe.

Pure terror had shot straight through him when he'd spotted Max bolting towards the ambulance. Unaware, that was where his father was being tended to, restrained, of course. Max’s father had taken quite the beating, though it was probably due to his drunkenness that it had been relatively easy to knock him out. David was ashamed of it, but the cops had been forced to pull David off of Mr. Thakur long after he’d been knocked unconscious. Thankfully, the cops had decided to overlook that fact, given the circumstances.

The darker side of David wasn’t ashamed though, but rather, he was quite pleased that he had given that _ assh-um...abusive turd _ a hefty beat down. Regardless, David had done what he’d needed to do to protect Max, and hopefully, Mr. Thakur had received the message to never come near Max again. 

It didn’t matter now, it was over now, thank God. He had the proof curled up in his arms. David could feel the increasing dampness of his shirt and knew that Max was silently crying, a fact that made him hold the boy even closer to him. As he stood there, he began hearing what sounded like a woman calling for someone. She sounded frantic.

The voice drew closer and David realized it was a mother calling out for her child. Snuggled up underneath his chin, Max began squirming around uncomfortably. Suddenly, he whipped his head around and called out in a hoarse and exhausted voice, “Gwen! I’m over here!”

_ Oh. Oops. _

David attempted to put Max down, but the boy merely shook his head and returned to his former position, snuggled up in the crook of his neck. Well, he figured it wouldn’t be long till Max regained his pride and reverted back to his cold and unaffectionate self. He decided to enjoy it while it lasts. Gwen’s voice was now clear as a bell and David’s feet started to move on their own accord. He’d only traveled a few feet when Gwen nearly crashed into him.

He uses the term “nearly” because, in reality, Gwen missed her target. Instead of running headfirst into the boys, she ended up tripping over David’s feet due to her swerving sharply to the right as a last-second attempt to avoid hitting them. David’s free arm instinctively shot out to catch Gwen, preventing her from face-planting into the asphalt. His injured arm wrapped protectively around Gwen’s middle as he pulled her into an upright position. 

[Some Dadvid Art...(timelapse)](https://youtu.be/wTjHEUoqJnM)

The act of extending his arm out  _ alone _ had made David wish fervently for the sweet void of unconsciousness to overcome him. Even more so, the act of having to slow down Gwen’s fall and pull her to safety? Oh, David saw  _ stars.  _ A sharp cry echoed throughout David’s mind and it took him many, rather agonizing moments to realize, he had made that sound. David’s vision swam, with dark spots threatening to consume him.

Miraculously, David did not pass out, though he wished he had. Even more miraculously, he had somehow managed to stay standing. And by some miracle from on high, he managed to not drop the now, very confused and concerned ten-year-old on to the ground. 

It took every bit of strength David had to maintain his balance while his vision danced chaotically in front of him. He felt a pair of hands move to steady him, they stayed there until his vision finally cleared and the world stopped spinning. Looking down upon the figure who had steadied him, he was met with a pair of frantic amethyst eyes. 

David was able to steady himself through those eyes, the soothing shades of bright purple gently brought him back to Earth. He lifted a shaky hand to Gwen’s cheek, smiling happily when she leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering shut. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Max watching the two with an impassive, but mildly curious gaze. David wondered what could possibly be going through the boy’s mind, given the dramatic events of the day.

His thoughts, however, were cut short, when Gwen practically jumped on him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, causing her weight to lean onto the tips of her toes as she tried to make up for the difference in height. As she buried her face into the crook of his neck, his mind finally caught up with him. A searing pain emanating from his shoulder tore through him, causing him to release a strained and mildly startled cry of pain.

It only took a few seconds for his body to adjust, rendering him fully able to reciprocate the hug with eagerness. However, Gwen was already pulling back from him. Caution and worry laced her expression as her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He watched her eyes travel his narrow frame, scanning for the source of his painful yelp. He swallowed nervously when her gaze fell upon his shoulder.  _ I’m so dead. _

Multiple emotions manifested across Gwen’s face, most of them too fast for David to comprehend. Two emotions, however, stood out as clear as day,  _ anger and fear _ . David braced himself for the absolute ear-lashing he was about to receive. 

But it never came.

David slowly pried open his eyes to peak down at Gwen. His eyes widened at the sight of tears threatening to fall from her eyes and onto her warm toffee-colored cheeks. 

Using his good arm, he pulled Gwen into a tight hug, which she quickly gave in to. The dam burst and David's heart broke at the sound of Gwen's muffled sobs. He whispered to her desperate reassurances in attempts to console her. 

The isolated sound of a choked sob caught David's attention and he looked over Gwen’s shoulder to see Max. The boy met his gaze and quickly wiped his eyes, trying to conceal his sudden involuntary outburst of emotion. 

Gwen pulled back from David's embrace and turned to the child. She stretched out a shaky hand to him and waited. Max stared at the hand for a long moment, then moved to grasp it. In a move that was too fast for David to see, Gwen hoisted the boy into her arms and held him tightly against her. Max seemed shaken for a moment and his body tensed up in fear, but eventually, he relaxed and melted into her hug.

David’s heart swelled at the precious scene before him, and a silly and idiotic grin plastered itself across his face. Gwen looked up at David and rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, but her gaze contained no real venom. She shifted Max in her arms so that she could support his weight with one arm. With her free hand, she grabbed the collar of David's shirt, still careful to mind his injured shoulder as she forcefully pulled him into the hug.

Together the three stood there, locked in the embraces of one another. And for an endless moment, the eccentrically abnormal family forgot about the world around them. In that eternal moment, they were able to let go of the woes that had brought them to this exact point in time. The suffocating and traumatic events of the day were washed clean from their minds for a brief period and together, intertwined in the arms of one another, they were able to take a minute to just breathe.

\-------------------------------------------------------

The following days were a jumbled blur to Max. All the drama and hysterics of the past five days had all but drained Max to the brink of pure exhaustion. As he sat there lying on the comforter of his recently made-up bed, he recalled to himself all the events that had occurred.

The biggest development was that his father had got off scot-free thanks to the clusterfuck of annoyingly persuasive lawyers he had in his charge. Apparently, they had somehow convinced the judge to reduce his punishment. The bail was set to $5000 and his father was freed with a meager slap on the wrist.  _ Fuckin’ vultures. _

Max recalled, in vivid detail, overhearing David’s frantic voice as Dr. Hopper relayed the news to him over the phone. He shuddered as he harked back to the sounds of Gwen’s angry shouts of disbelief and the somewhat destructive rage that followed. Dr. Hopper came to visit the next day, along with Dr. Kane, who was there to check and make sure Max was still on the road to a full recovery. 

When Max had asked Dr. Hopper about his father, she reassured him that he would never be able to retake custody of him. With the events of Christmas, Dr. Hopper and David had been working day and night to get a restraining order against his father set in place as quickly as possible. Still, even with that reassurance, Max hadn’t been sleeping well.

_ Scratch that, I haven’t been sleeping at all. _

It wasn’t for the lack of trying, however. The problem was what occurred when he did fall asleep.  _ Night terrors _ . The worst ones he’d had in a long time. His dreams would start out perfectly fine, happy almost. But then…

Max shook himself out of his head. He didn’t want to think about it. Hopping down from his spot on the bed, he walked over to the mirror that hung over his door. He took notice that circles under his eyes had grown darker and more prevalent and that he seemed to have lost more weight. Lifting up his t-shirt, he was easily able to count his ribs. He huffed in annoyance.

_ Wow, I look like actual shit. _

Max pulled his shirt back down and walked over to his dresser. He opened up one of the old oaken drawers and pulled out a second t-shirt along with his biggest sweatshirt. He strategically layered the second t-shirt over the first. Max turned around to face the mirror again and frowned.

The shirt had fit him just fine on Christmas Day, but now it hung loosely against his rapidly thinning frame. Max sighed, then shrugged the sweatshirt over his head. With the extra padding he’d applied, it was harder to tell that he’d lost weight. Thankfully, his pants still fit him relatively okay, they were a bit baggy on him, but nothing that would cause them to fall off. 

_ Now, to cover up the bags. _

Max fished out the makeup palette he’d “borrowed” from Gwen out of his sock drawer. Sitting down on the cold wood floor, he began strategically applying the powder under his eyes. He was careful not to use too much, given that he and Gwen were not the same skin tone. A few minutes of fuck-ups and too much powder went by, but eventually, Max successfully hid any evidence that he had hardly slept more than six hours in the past five days. As he proudly examined his handiwork, he noticed his cheekbones were much more protruded than they had been.

_ Motherfucker...well, can’t really do shit about that. Let’s just hope no one notices. Gwen was eyeing very suspiciously last night. Ugh...I feel like shit. _

Max looked outside the window, it was still dark outside, but he’d rather be safe than sorry. Looking at his watch, the time read 5:37 a.m. Max groaned, he still had three hours before it was safe to leave the room. Any earlier, and David would definitely call bullshit. However, hiding his thin appearance was still important enough to require getting dressed this early. He didn’t want David or Gwen walking in to see the zombie-like appearance that had taken over Max. Frankly, he just didn’t want any more drama. The thought of Gwen and David helicopter parenting him even more than they were already made his stomach clench nauseously.

_ Wait, no. That’s just regular nausea. Oh for fuck’s sake.  _

Max practically bolted from his spot on the ground, pushing through the violent headrush that overcame him as he frantically ran to the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he began vomiting up any water he’d drank in the past four hours. His dinner from last night had only stayed down for an hour before he’d ran to the bathroom at around eight p.m. Once his stomach was completely empty of any remaining bile, that was when the dry-heaving began. 

_ Ugh, this is the worst part. _

Fifteen minutes went by before Max’s stomach finally settled and he collapsed, utterly exhausted, onto the hard linoleum bathroom floor. Max’s brain felt like a giant wad of grey goop as he curled into a fetal position. A loud knock against the bathroom door caused his adrenaline to kick in and Max quickly got up and flushed the evidence down the toilet.

“Max? You in there, bud?” David called out, sounding worried. Max moved to the sink to examine his appearance, he silently groaned at the sickly boy he saw before him. The knock repeated itself.

“Uh...yeah! I’m fine, David. The...um...the Thai from last night didn’t sit well. Hold on a sec...I’m almost done.”

Max decided washing his face would probably be a good idea, but he was careful to not destroy his rather decent application of cosmetics.

“Oh...okay. When you’re done in there, how about I make you some green tea? It might help settle your stomach.”

He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep anything down, but it was less suspicious if he accepted.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

“Okay, I’ll go and start the kettle. Just come and meet me on the couch when you’re done.”

Max dried his face off with a hand towel and moved to unlock the door. As he fumbled with the lock, his eyelids suddenly grew heavy and a paralyzing wave of fatigue crashed over him. It took all of Max's strength not to topple over, instead, he forced his limbs to function and leaned his weight against the sink. He let himself doze for a moment before getting back up again to open the door. 

He stumbled his way towards the couch, trying to make as little noise as possible. He landed on the soft cushions and quickly wrapped himself in the biggest blanket in his vicinity. Max nestled himself into the corner of the couch just as David walked into the living room carrying two steaming mugs.

David handed Max his tea with an affectionate smile, he carefully adjusted his injured arm so he wouldn't jostle it as David sat down next to him. Max watched, curiously, as David put his feet up on the coffee table and began blowing cool breath at the hot tea. Looking down at his own mug, Max inhaled the sweet aroma of the brewed tea leaves. Rather than cooling the steaming mug with his breath, Max began sipping at it immediately, enjoying the way the scalding liquid burned his esophagus. 

“Jesus, Max! That’s boiling hot! You’re going to hurt your throat by doing that.”

Max merely shrugged and continue sipping at his blistering tea. David sighed, shaking his head with mock disappointment. Max noticed as David winced slightly at the jostle of his shoulder, he felt a twinge of guilt surge through him.

_ My fault. It’s my fault he got hurt. It’s all my fault. _

“Don’t do that, Max.”

“Huh?” Max sputtered, startled that David could read his expression so clearly.

“I know that look, kiddo. You’re blaming yourself for what happened.  _ Don’t. _ ”

Max set his cup down on the coffee table and curled in on himself, “It’s my fault, David. None of this would have happened if I had...If I could’ve just…I-I..”

“_Max_. We could go back and forth  _ for days _ on things we should or should not have done. It will ultimately all end up meaningless because it’s in the past. We can’t change the past. And even if we could, I’d do it again. I’d do it a thousand times and so forth if it meant you were safe. Do you believe that?”

A lump of emotion welled up in Max’s throat, threatening to make itself heard. The odd thing was, Max believed him. He just didn’t understand what he did to deserve it. David continued staring at him, determined to not allow Max to duck out of the question. Max relented and offered a tearful nod.

“Yeah, I believe it.”

\---------------------------------------------

_ Holy mother of bargains… _

Gwen let out an excited shriek as she raced her buggy over to the discount box TV she’d spotted. She ignored the exasperated groan of her ten-year-old companion begrudgingly trailing behind her, as she greedily examined a forgotten memento from her childhood. She couldn’t believe her eyes, it was in perfect working condition.

The gray box TV was spotless and even had its original remote control in the packaging. It even had slots for both VHS and DVD’s.  _ Holy SHIT. _

“What the hell is that thing?”

_ Fuckin’ zoomers.  _

“ _ This _ is your new TV.”

Gwen thoroughly enjoyed the pure look of confusion plastered across Max’s face. She watched as he poked and prodded at the ancient television, most likely confused as to how he was going to watch Netflix on this.

“Again, what the  _ hell _ is this thing?”

Gwen sighed, “Max, it’s a box TV. You can watch VHS tapes and DVDs on it in your room, you can even hook up your NES into it. It’ll be perfect for your new room.” Gwen walked the perimeter of the television, triple-checking to make sure it had all the cords and wires it needed. “I had one of these when I was your age, but they were crazy expensive then. I can’t believe this one is only twenty bucks.”

Gwen watched the cogs turn slowly in Max’s head. She could tell he was unsure how to react. Finally, he shrugged and said, “Cool, now I can kick your ass at MarioKart in the comfort of my own room.”

Rolling her eyes, she mussed his hair and loaded the TV into her cart.

As the two made their way throughout the busy Goodwill, they periodically bantered and half-heartedly argued about furniture selections and whatnot. Eventually, Gwen relented and let Max choose whatever he wanted to adorn his room. 

They were just about to make their way to the checkout stand when Gwen noticed Max had wandered over to the bin filled with old VHS tapes. She chuckled softly and joined him, together the two dug throughout the chaotic mixture of tapes. Gwen was torn between  _ The Prince of Egypt _ and  _ The Fox and The Hound _ . 

_ Fuck it. I love them both, I will be purchasing them both. Shut up, wallet. _

Her gaze was torn from the nostalgic covers of the childhood classic when she heard a quiet choked gasp from Max. She looked up to see a mournful expression that had no right being displayed across a ten-year-old’s features. In his delicate hands, lay a beat-up copy of  _ Finding Nemo _ .

“Max? You okay?”

He sniffed once, then jolted himself back to reality and then, the sad expression was gone. He momentarily fumbled with the tape in his hands before delicately setting it back into the bin. Gwen paused, clearly, that movie held some sort of significance to him. She waited until Max had passed, solemnly walking to the check out stand, then quickly grabbed the VHS tape and threw it in the cart. 

_ Get ready, zoomer. It’s motherfucking movie night. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo...I've been sick. I never get sick so this is awkward. I've been basically brain-dead for the past week and I'm just now starting to recover. Anyways...I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. The next one will be out...soon. Within two weeks AT MOST. I have a lot of schoolwork since semester finals are right around the corner. 
> 
> Thank you again SO MUCH for all the love and support you give this fic. It really does warm my sickly soul.
> 
> <3<3<3


	12. Nerf Guns and Pillowforts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AND WE ARE BACK!!!! Thank you, everyone, for being so incredibly patient! I know I said this chapter would be extra long, so to make up for it, I will be posting Chapter 13 tomorrow on Christmas Day! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you lovelies! Enjoy the new chapter!

In the process of setting up for a spontaneous movie night, Max’s room had been virtually flipped upside down. Max huffed with pride at the badass pillow fort he and Gwen had constructed in a little over an hour. David had merely sat to the side and watched the two work, pouting heavily at the fact that he was unable to assist in the construction.

Once the pillow fort was complete, David and Gwen moved to the kitchen to begin making snacks for the event. As soon as the coast was clear, Max dove underneath the blankets and crawled under his bed. He reached out blindly, grasping at air until his fingers curled around the barrel of his Christmas present from Neil.

Max hadn’t expected to receive anything from Neil and Nikki, so when he looked into the mailbox yesterday and found two similarily wrapped presents, he was ecstatic. Max had quickly stuffed the two sloppily wrapped boxes under his sweatshirt and raced back into his room. From there, Max shut off the lights and scrambled under his bed. He reached for his phone in his back pocket and turned on his flashlight, then carefully began unwrapping the gifts.

He started with Nikki’s gift and it was immediately obvious to Max that she had wrapped it herself. The edges were jagged and Nikki had used an ungodly amount of tape to seal the box. It had taken him a few minutes to peel off all the tape without ripping the paper. 

_ It’s a nice wrapping paper, so don’t make a mess. _

Once Max had neatly crumpled all the tape into a ball the size of his fist, he finally revealed the gift. The package was soft and squishy and covered by some kind of flexible plastic. _ Some kind of foam? _Max flipped over onto his back, holding up the unidentified object in his hands. He gripped his flashlight he had set down on the floor and shone it onto the gift.

_ Nerf Darts. Odd...why would she give me Nerf Darts and not a Nerf...wait a fucking minute… _

Max scrambled back onto his stomach, narrowly avoiding banging his head onto the bars that held up his bed. He grabbed Neil’s present and quickly tore the paper off, far too excited to remember to preserve the wrapping paper for future use. He winced at his actions, suddenly feeling terrible for destroying Neil’s fine work. He had wrapped it perfectly and Max had not hesitated to destroy it.

_ Oh well, I’ll apologize later. _

Neil’s gift was much sturdier than Nikki’s, as it was partially encased in cardboard. Max used his fingers to blindly examine his present, gasping quietly to himself in surprise when his hands grazed over hard plastic. Max once again grabbed his phone light to examine it, exhaling sharply at the sight of the most beautiful Nerf gun he had ever seen.

It was a pistol sniper gun, perfect for stealth kills and quick retreats. Max was mindful to be more careful this time about removing the gun from its encasing. Max grew more impatient by the minute as his shaking hands worked swiftly to remove the plastic zip ties from the gun. He winced sharply as one of the zip ties broke suddenly, causing Max’s hand to recoil into his face. Effectively boxing himself square in the nose.

_ Did I….Did I just punch myself in the face? _

A hysterical burst of laughter suddenly exploded from Max, causing his stomach to growl and ache in retaliation. Max abruptly ceased his involuntary chuckle by covering his mouth with his sleeve in an attempt to try and stifle the laughter. 

Once all the zip ties were carefully disposed of, Max removed the gun from the box and grabbed the bullets. He grabbed the spare blanket he usually kept in his hiding place and strategically hid his gifts from sight. He carefully folded the remaining wrapping paper into a careful square while the remaining trash he had destroyed was shoved into his sweatshirt. Max shimmied out from underneath his bed and placed the folded wrapping paper into his desk drawer. 

He placed the trash into an empty desk drawer deciding it was better to dispose of it after dark. He didn’t want his dad to know he made a mess. His dad hated messes...his dad hated everything he did...wait.

Max suddenly jolted out of his elongated daze and shakes the memory from his head. It took him a long moment to realize where he was.

_ I’m...I’m at home. David and Gwen are making popcorn with peanut M&M’s, my favorite. My father is far away...away from me...he can’t hurt me...right? _

Max hears the microwave beep loudly from the kitchen in response.

_ Right. _

Max removed the Nerf gun from the blankets and quickly loaded it. He paused to admire the gun. It was standard blue and orange but unlike most Nerf guns, it had a camouflage-colored silencer on the barrel. Max took another moment to recall his conversation with Nikki and Neil after unwrapping the gifts…

\--------------------------------

**Neil: So...what did you think? **

**Max: i fucking love you guys**

**Nikki: SEE? i Told u he would like it neil.**

**Max: where did the silencer piece come from? ive never seen them sell one like this before**

**Nikki: oH neil made It**

**Max: what?!? seriously dude?! you made this? that's fucking epic**

**Neil: Yeah...I remember you telling me how much you loved silencer extensions, so I used some leftover aluminum from one of my old projects. It didn’t take long.**

**Max: you guys really didnt have to get me anything...i mean i didnt get you guys anything**

**Nikki: max. U have had like the WORST YEAR ever. it was the least we could do**

**Neil: Yeah man, don’t sweat it. I’d much rather spend my allowance on my friends than on myself. **

**Nikki: same**

**Max: ...thanks, guys. :)**

\--------------------------------------

Max smiled at the memory, he really did have amazing friends. 

The sudden echo of footsteps from the hallway startles Max back to reality. He quickly gets into position as he aims his rifle at the door. Then, he was silent, exhaling only with shallow and quiet breaths as he waits for his targets.

He hears his door open and listens intently as blankets are rustled and shifted in order to gain access inside Max’s base. David enters first, looking as oblivious and naive as usual. 

_ Fool_.

He waits until David had set the snacks down safely. _ Innocents are out of the kill zone. _ Max aims his first dart for David’s upper back, careful not to hit his injured arm. Max let a long draw of air whisk into his lungs, then with expert precision, he pulls the trigger.

“OW!”

Max watched with glee as David arched his back in surprise, a hand slapping against his lower neck. David turned and quickly spots Max. _ Shit, I’m compromised. _

“David? What was that?” Gwen calls from the kitchen.

David and Max both look at the door and then, to Max’s surprise, a wicked grin spread across David’s narrow features. He looked at Max and placed a finger to his mouth, signaling him to stay silent. Max looked on as David shimmied his long limbs underneath the bed, joining Max. Once he successfully maneuvered his long limbs into a comfortable position of his stomach, he opened his hand out to Max in a gesture that interpreted as, _ “Give me the gun, I’ve got an idea.” _

“David? Max?” Gwen’s voice was drawing closer to the room.

Max wordlessly handed David the rifle and turns to grab his discarded blanket, draping it over both of them. The two were then completely hidden from view.

The door opened and Gwen enters the fort, she placed the snacks on the ground. Her amethyst eyes curiously dart around the fort. She fails to notice the boys hidden underneath the bed. Max has to stifle the giggles that were threatening to give away the two, causing David to elbow him in the ribs in an attempt to quiet him. Despite this, Max could tell David was having difficulties holding in his own laughter. The two grow silent and watch on with mischief as Gwen shrugs nonchalantly and begins to sift through movies. 

With her back now turned on the boys, David aimed the gun low and fired.

Gwen squeals in shock as the dart hit dead center into her left buttcheek, causing both of the boys to explode into laughter. It was the type of laughter that made you spasm in hysterics, the type that had you gasping for air. It was the best kind of laughter. Max watched as Gwen practically drags David from underneath the bed in anger. Pure fear engulfed David’s expression as he desperately tried to squirm away, clawing at the floor hopelessly with his good arm. But to no avail, Gwen effectively managed to overpower David, climbing on top of him to claim revenge. 

She dug her hands harshly into his sides and David immediately began to spaz violently, painful laughter forcefully echoing throughout the room as Gwen tickled him without mercy.

“M-mAX!!! heLP ME!!!” David cried out. Max moved quickly to avenge his fallen comrade and began to fire Nerf darts rapidly at the enemy. Gwen screamed as the bullets rained down upon her endlessly, causing her to forget her current task of revenge and instead moved her hands to shield her face. 

David, now free from Gwen’s torturous tickling, took the opportunity to flip Gwen onto her back, pinning her arms down with his knees. Max threw the gun into David’s hands, who aimed dead-center at Gwen’s face. Max quickly scurried out from under the bed as David demanded in a low but firm voice,

“Yield.”

Gwen’s eyes dart around frantically as she desperately searches for a means to escape. After a long moment, she sighs in defeat when she realizes she is cornered. Her head falls back onto the floor and she mutters,

“_Fine_, I yield. You win.”

Max pumped his fist into the air as the smell of victory filled the air, or maybe that was just popcorn he smelled_. _ Regardless, a celebratory _whoop _from Max rang loud and clear. Max turned to high-five David, who looked just as smug.

“Get the _ fuck _ off me, loser.” Gwen spat out, though her tone lacked any real venom. David complied instantly, awkwardly shuffling off of her to sit in the beanbag chair. Gwen sat up and brushed herself off, rolling her eyes at the two.

“If you two are done gloating…” Gwen paused, eyeing the two sorely, “Then, let’s pick a movie.”

\---------------------------------------

They settle on _ The Prince of Egypt_, though Max had whined saying that winners should have the first pick. Gwen glared at David fiercely, causing him to awkwardly sputter out, “Y-yeah... _ Prince of Egypt _ is good.”

David inwardly smiles at the look of betrayal on Max’s face. The boy grumbled silently as he crawled back under the bed. David reached down to hand Max a pillow, who takes it with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the boy props the pillow underneath him as he rolls onto his stomach, laying his head on the pillow with his arms underneath. 

Gwen removed the movie from the box and carefully inserted it into the DVR. She turned the TV on and let the previews roll. David scoots over to make room for Gwen on the beanbag, who plops down beside him, arms crossed in still lingering contempt. David awkwardly sets his hands in his lap, careful not to touch Gwen as he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. 

Gwen, however, paid him no mind, her focus was solely on Max. A wave of confusion crashed into David. Dumbfounded, he glanced at Max as well. He yelped when Gwen jabs him in the ribs with her elbow, signaling him to pay attention to the previews. 

The confusion doubles when the menu screen appears, it was not _ The Prince of Egypt _playing at all. Gwen had put in _ Finding Nemo. _ A faint gasp echoed from underneath the bed. David watched with concern as Gwen peered underneath the bed and spoke with a tender tone,

“Are you okay, bud? Do I need to turn it off?”

David’s heart almost shattered at the small and trembling voice that responded, “No...d-don’t turn it off. I’m okay.”

Gwen reached underneath the bed to gently stroke the boy’s cheek, then moved back to her spot and pressed PLAY.

They watch the movie in silence, an almost solemn atmosphere filling the room. However, when Marlin and Dory reach the part with the sharks, Gwen curls up against him, her head resting against his shoulder. David didn’t move, not wanting to ruin the moment. Gwen huffed as she looked up at him, slightly annoyed.

_ Crap, what did I do? _

She grabs David’s uninjured arm and wrapped it gently around her shoulders, Gwen sighed in content and let her head rest atop his chest. David’s heart pounded in his ears. He gently let his hand rest on Gwen’s hip, and asked tentatively in a meek voice, “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect.”

David relaxes, allowing his head to lean comfortably against Gwen’s. The atmosphere slowly lifted and David felt at peace. He peered over at Max out of the corner of his peripheral vision to see the boy had his eyes practically glued to the screen, an unreadable expression lacing his features.

_ Tell me, kid. What is going on in that head of yours? Please, just talk to me. _

\---------------------------------------

“Max? Max! The movie is about to start, _ mere priy ladake _.”

“Coming, _ Maan _!”

The boy hurried down the long corridor, careful however to not let the Kashmir spill. Using his elbow, the child was able to open the door to the movie room. Ignoring the fancy seats of the theater, he ran down the aisle to the mountain of pillows and blankets _she _had helped him set up.

_ Baapujii _was not home tonight, so he and _ Maji _had the night to themselves, which was a rare occurrence.

Her face brightened upon seeing her son, holding their favorite drink. _ Kashmir, my darling, it is a wonderful drink with saffron, cinnamon, and cardamom. It’s my favorite. _

Max had spent hours practicing making the drink, usually when his father was passed out or away. He had finally perfected it and it was time to surprise his _ maan_.

“_ Mera chatur ladaka!” _She gasps in surprise, her green eyes, identical to Max’s, filled with pride. She took the drinks from him and set them on the floor. Max curled up next to his mother, who stroked her manicured hands through his dark hair. “You clever boy, thank you.” She sipped at the drink and sighed in pleasure, “It’s delicious Max, I’m so proud of you.”

The six-year-old smiled wide, causing his mother to giggle at the gap in his mouth from the loss of his first tooth. Max wrapped his short limbs around his mother who gladly reciprocated the hug.

He murmured into his mother’s warm embrace, “_Main aapase pyaar karata hoon, maan_.”

“_Main bhee tumase pyaar karata hoon, beta. _”

His mother presses PLAY and _ Finding Nemo _echoes throughout the room.

\-----------------------------------------

Max awoke to a wet pillow. The room is dark, save for the bright blue light of the TV that reflected soft contrast across the room. He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and turned to look for David. He snorts at the sight of Gwen and David curled up together in the beanbag, sound asleep.

_ Idiots. _

Max pulled his phone out from his back pocket to quickly look at the time. The screen blazed bright blinding light at Max, causing him to yelp softly. His phone slipped from his grasp and clattered loudly onto the ground. Max winced and quickly looked over to where the idiots were still sleeping peacefully, apparently undisturbed by the abnormal sound. He picked the phone up from the floor and quickly switched the brightness to dim. The screen read _ December 31, 2016; 4:49 a.m. _

_ New Year’s Eve, I forgot all about that. Maybe those two idiots will finally make-out and stop pining endlessly over one another. _

Max suddenly yawns, his eyelids growing heavy. He looked over at his foster parents who were snoring in synchronization and Max smiled to himself.

_ Not that I care, but they’d be cute together, I guess. _

He pulled his blanket over his head and clutched Mr. Honeynuts tightly in his arms. A tired smile tugged at the corners of Max’s lips as David began to mutter tree names in his sleep again, and he let David’s nonsensical muttering lull him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you so much for being so patient while I finished this semester! We should be back to a regular schedule after Ch. 13 is posted tomorrow. That means the next chapter after that will be posted in the year 2020!!! Ironically, the next chapter (13 & 14) are about the events of New Years, lol. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave kudos and a comment (they really motivate me and make me so incredibly happy). I'll see you guys tomorrow! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!
> 
> Translations:
> 
> mere priy ladake: my dear boy
> 
> maan: mom
> 
> baapujii: father
> 
> maji: (another word for mom)
> 
> mera chatur ladaka: my smart boy
> 
> Main aapase pyaar karata hoon, maan: I love you, mom.
> 
> Main bhee tumase pyaar karata hoon, beta: I love you too, son


	13. A Full House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Holidays to everyone!
> 
> As promised, here is Chapter 13. Consider it my gift to you guys for being awesome!
> 
> I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy today's chapter!

“Hey, David?”

David peered up from his students’ final exams he had been grading to meet Max’s gaze, “Yeah, bud?”

“When the ball drops tonight are you going to kiss Gwen?”

The coffee David had been sipping at lodged in his throat at the suggestion, causing David to hack and sputter in front of the smug child.

“W-Wha-*hack*...What?!”, David stammered, his ears burning and his face flushed.

Max sat down in the chair next to him, grabbing greedily at David’s coffee to take a swig. He set the mug down with an emphasized _ thud _. Mischief laced his boyish features as he spoke, “Are you going to kiss, Gwen?”

David’s face somehow flushed an even brighter shade of red causing him to bury his head in his hands, ears burning a violent crimson.

“Why do you hate me, Max?”, David groaned. 

Max rolled his eyes at David’s dramatics and pointed a finger at him accusingly, “Stop dodging the question, lover boy.”

“Oh my God…” 

“_David!” _Max goaded.

“No! I-I mean y-yes. Um, m-maybe? I d-don't know, Max!”

Max smirked as he sat back in the chair, his smugness growing stronger by the minute. David, now more confused by the boy’s lack of verbiage, asked in a nervous voice,

“Why do y-you want to know, Max?”

Max merely took another long swig from David’s mug and hopped down onto his feet. As he left the kitchen he turned to glance at David with an evil grin, saying, “Oh, _ no reason_.”

With the kitchen now empty, David sits in perpetual silence. The implicative question Max posed now rooted firmly in his brain.

“Max, what the _ heck _.”

\-------------------------------------

**Camp Mom: You guys boarded yet?**

**Gremlin: yup, my flight will b there around 6 i think**

**Point Dexter: My flight lands around seven. >:(**

**Gremlin: big sad :P**

**Camp Mom: It’s fine I’ll pick up the first one of you shits to land and we will wait for the other.**

**Point Dexter: Sounds good.**

**Gremlin: so excited!!!**

\-----------------------------------------

_ Time for Step Two of my brilliant plan for entertainment. _

It was around four in the afternoon when Max innocently walked up to Gwen, who was mindlessly scrolling on her phone in the living room. She glanced up at him with a small smile, then returned her attention to her phone. However, Max was not here to be ignored, _ he was here to meddle_.

“What is it, shorty?” Gwen asked, still looking at her phone.

A devilish smile tugged at Max’s mouth and he leaned down to whisper a question into her ear.

Gwen’s face immediately flushed to a beet red and her phone slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly onto the wood floor.

Satisfied, Max turned sharply and exited the room, chuckling darkly to himself when he heard Gwen yell in retaliation and denial,

“You are_ Satan_, you know that, Max?!”

_ Success. _

\---------------------------------------------

“So why exactly are we cleaning the house again?”

“New Year, clean house.”

“That not even close to how the saying goes, _ idiot_.”

Max rolled his eyes as David’s chuckle echoed from the living room. They had been scrubbing away for over an hour now and we’re making decent progress, it wasn’t like the house was huge anyway. David focused on vacuuming and dusting, while Max was tasked with wiping down every possible surface he could reach. David might have been trying to avoid Max a bit. He couldn't fault him, it seemed he really had startled him earlier. 

_ Good. _

Max returned to his scrubbing, standing on his tiptoes to reach the farthest corners of the counter. His height seemed to greatly limit what could be cleaned. That didn’t stop Max though, he was used to cleaning things he couldn’t reach. His experience living with his father had made him quite the acrobat.

Using the skills he had obtained over many years of cleaning up the giant, empty house he’d spent the first ten years of his life in, he easily hopped onto the kitchen counter. From there, he scrubbed ferociously at stubborn stains until the counters were pristine. Now for the tricky part. 

Max did _not _want to dirty up the counters with his bare feet while cleaning the kitchen cabinets, so he decided to do what he’d done a million times before at his old home. He was just tall enough to grip the top of the fridge. Once he’d acquired a solid grip he used the bottoms of his feet to boost himself on top of the fridge. He accomplished this by holding onto the fridge and quickly scrambling up the side. Once he was steady, he began cleaning the first two cabinets and the top half of the fridge. Max stopped a moment to admire his work before moving to climb atop the cabinets, a much easier task than scaling up the fridge.

Max immediately took notice of the surprising lack of alcohol on the cabinets. His father always had at least thirty bottles of vintage wine or hard liquor lining the cabinets. It was always a challenge maneuvering his body around the fragile bottles, a task that had only gotten increasingly more difficult the older he got. He vividly remembered his father’s violent reaction the day he had accidentally knocked a bottle off the shelf. He had been five years old at the time. Max shuddered at the flashbulb memory and quickly diverted his attention back to the task at hand.

Regardless, the task of cleaning the cabinets was much easier now that there was nothing to knock over. He was halfway done and dangling precariously over the edge of one of the more unstable cupboards when he heard David yell his name, the fear apparent in his tone. Startled by the sudden loud noise he almost loses his grip, but Max is quick to catch himself at the last second. He dangled for a brief moment before pulling his small body up to safety.

“David! What the shit?!” He yelled at the red-headed adult, angrily. 

“Max?! How on earth did you get up there? More importantly, _ why _ are you up there?!”

Now it’s Max’s turn to be confused as he replied in a small voice, “You said clean what I could reach…?”

David stretched his long limbs out to Max’s perch atop the cabinets, signaling the boy to jump into his arms. Max shook his head at him like a stubborn toddler and instead, crawled into the corner where the cabinets met, _ out _of David’s reach. 

“Max! Get down from there!”

Max huffed, his temper flaring, “_ No! _ You told me to clean what I could reach so that is what I’m _ fucking _ doing.”

Max pulls his limbs close to his body, trying to get as much distance between him and the man frantically reaching for him. Annoyed by his guardian’s persistence, Max hissed, “Just leave me alone, David!”

David sighed back in frustration, “Max, _ please_, I don’t want you to get hurt!” 

Max merely rolled his eyes and proclaimed confidently, “Relax, I’ve done this a million times. I promise you I’m not going to fall.”

David shook his head and Max noticed the tears springing up in the caruncles of David’s eyes, “Max, that’s not the point! Any parent or _heck _just anyone who cares about you would _never _let you do this. It doesn’t matter how good you are at it, Max.”

“Gwen would probably let me do this. Besides, how is this any different from letting me or any other fucking kid climb a tree?”

“You’re not like other kids, _Max_.”

Now he was truly pissed. Max leaned as close to the edge as he could before practically screaming at David, “_ What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!” _

_ “YOU ARE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE, MAX!” _

Max watched in stunned silence as David’s arms fell to his sides in a defeated manner. For a long time, no one spoke. Then in a small voice, David whispered,

“Max, one of the main reasons I’m so protective of you is because you _fail_ to protect yourself." David took a deep breath before continuing,

"You are constantly putting yourself in harm’s way and most of the time, I don’t think you realize you’re doing it. Do you know how terrifying that is, Max? To know that you grew up in an environment so isolated and cold, that you were willing to do whatever was necessary to obtain even the slightest bit of love and attention. What’s even more terrifying is the lengths I’ve personally seen you go to in order to keep that affection. No child should_ ever _ feel that they have to earn the love of their family.”

Max took a long moment to ponder David’s words. Whether he liked it or not, David was right. His dad had never cared about him, so it made sense that he never cared if he was being safe or not. 

But David cared _unconditionally_, and that was the only reason he allowed David to help him get off the cupboards.

\-------------------------------------------

_ I fucking hate airports. _

Gwen tapped her foot impatiently as she checked her phone for the tenth time in the past twenty minutes. They were late. Insanely late. 

It was already 9 pm and they were supposed to have arrived here two fucking hours ago. Though she couldn’t fault either of them she supposed.

_ Travel is always a goddamn nightmare around Christmas and the New Year. _

At this point, Gwen was just hoping to make it home before next year. It was becoming increasingly less likely by the minute.

A buzz from Gwen’s back pocket drew her away from her thoughts. She opened her outdated iPhone and tapped on the new text message.

**Gremlin: The airport people had 2 ground our flight and put me on another. But guess wat**

**Camp Mom: ?**

**Gremlin: dumbass was at the airport i landed at**

**Point Dexter: Rude.**

**Camp Mom: Thats cool, you guys on the same flight now?**

**Point Dexter: Yeah, we are about an hour away. This sucks.**

**Camp Mom: My day could literally not get any worse**

**Gremlin: sorry gwen:(**

**Camp Mom: Eh its not your fault. Ill be here when both of you land **

Gwen shoved her phone angrily into her pocket and defeatedly slumped in her chair. Her head was splitting and she was fucking pissed. Frustratingly, the wasn’t much to be pissed about. It wasn’t the kids’ fault and it wasn’t the airports. It was goddamn Mother Nature being an absolute pain in the ass.

Suddenly, her shitty cracked phone buzzed again. Gwen groaned and fished it out, hoping it wasn’t more bad news.

**Canada: You on your way home yet? **

**Best Co-Counselor: Their flight was delayed again. **

**Canada: Well...crap.**

**Best Co-Counselor: Crap is correct**

**Best Co-Counselor: What are you gonna tell Max**

**Canada: No clue, but right now he’s asleep on the couch. **

**Best Co-Counselor: Already?? Damn**

**Canada: Hopefully, he’ll stay asleep till you get here.**

**Best Co-Counselor: Shouldnt be long now until they arrive.**

**Canada: Amazing! Dinner will be ready when you get home.**

**Best Co-Counselor: thanks dear wifey of mine**

**Canada: >:P**

\---------------------------------------

David tucked his phone safely inside his shirt pocket and looked over at Max. The ten-year-old was fast asleep in David’s patchwork armchair. His head lobbed sideways on the armrest and his arms were folded tightly around his chest. He didn’t exactly look peaceful.

_ His neck is going to hurt later from the way he’s sleeping. _David thought. In any case, with Max asleep, he was able to begin cooking dinner. They had meant to have it much earlier, but with their special guests arriving late, it was better to wait. Thankfully, the meal wasn’t an overly complicated one.

David turned the TV on in the living room to New Year’s Eve Celebration, though he was mindful to mute it so Max wouldn’t wake. He moved to the cabinets to grab the necessary pots and pans and began cooking his mother’s old recipe for spaghetti.

\-----------------------------------------

_ Self-Destructive. Self-Destructive? Me? Whatever, David. _

It wasn’t that Max didn’t _try _to go to sleep, frankly, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t fault the armchair, on the contrary, it was rather comfortable. So instead of sleeping, he pondered over the dispute he and David had just a few hours prior. 

David had called him “self-destructive”, whatever that meant. It wasn’t like Max tried to hurt himself, he just had really shitty luck. Though he supposed he could probably be more careful with how he planned things out. For example, walking in cold ass Maine during a blizzard probably hadn’t been Max’s brightest idea. Neither had Max’s brilliant idea of trying to move a wardrobe that weighed more than he did, all by himself and in the dead of night.

Frankly, Max’s plans hadn’t been all that successful recently. 

Max slumped into the chair as a wave of depression crashed over him. He couldn’t seem to do anything right.

** _Useless._ **

_ Maybe so. _

Suddenly, a warm blanket draped overtop his curled up form. He peeked out from under his eyelashes to spot David walking back to his spot in the kitchen. Max smiled to himself.

_ I may be useless, but I don’t think David cares. He seems to still care about me, all the same. _

The doorbell rang.

Max’s eyebrows furrowed in mild confusion. Who would ring the doorbell at this hour? 

_ Gwen has a key, so I doubt it’s her. _

Max got up from the chair, taking care to wrap the blanket around himself before walking into the kitchen. He turned to David, who was humming a jolly tune to himself.

“Who’s at the door?”

David looked at him from over his shoulder and gave him an...odd expression.

“Uh...I don’t know. I’m busy making dinner, can you get the door? I bet Gwen just forgot her key again.”

Panic surged through Max as he vividly recalled the last time he answered the door. He could still smell his father’s reeking breath and his cruel words. 

“Max?”

He couldn’t speak, his throat had turned to dust and any sound he did make was high-pitched and cracked. He did not want to open the door he’d rather bury himself in shit than open the door. He was afraid. Max took a shaky breath before trying again.

“I-I…”

David’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked together in his mind. He quickly set down whatever he’d been cooking and knelt down to Max’s level. He gently grabbed Max’s shoulders and looked at him firmly. Though his gaze was firm, his words were soft,

“Kid, I promise you it isn’t him. I know exactly who’s at the door right now, and it is not your father. I’m sorry, kid. I was just trying to surprise you, I never meant to upset you.”

Max took several deep breaths. The doorbell continued ringing, somewhat obnoxiously. Slowly, the panic faded and Max asked in a small voice,

“Who’s at the door?”

David paused, unsure if he should spoil the surprise, “Are you willing to find out for yourself?”

His hands trembled as he spoke, “Will...Will you come with me?”

To his relief, David nodded. He turned to turn off the stove before allowing Max to lead him to the front door. His small hands shook with terror as he unlocked the deadbolt and turned the handle. For a moment, he forgot his pride and jumped backward to hide behind David as the door creaked open. 

Max squeezed his eyes shut, far too terrified to see who was at the door. Suddenly a high-pitched feminine voice whisper-shouted in his ear, 

“_BOO_!”

Max screamed. Like a goddamn girl. He fell backward onto the floor as he recoiled away from the startling voice, his eyes flashing open to the guests in front of him.

The girl stood in front of him, giving him her signature toothy grin. Her hair wasn’t in her iconic pigtails, rather a mussed french braid that traveled down her back. Her overalls had been replaced with a bright red puff jacket and black sweatpants. She wore hiking boots and had red earmuffs on. Max could hardly contain his joy as he yelled her name,

“Nikki!”

He quickly tackled her into an inescapable bear hug, one that Nikki gave into easily. She did appear somewhat startled by Max’s reaction, given that he had never been much of a hugger.

“What am I? Chopped liver?”

Max looked over Nikki’s shoulder to see Neil, looking a little offended. Neil was clad in multiple layers of thermal wear. Overtop it all, was a very itchy looking sweater with a Menorah on it.

_ That’s right. The last day of Hannukah was yesterday. _

He wore snow boots and a navy blue toboggan that somehow managed to envelop the mass of curls that were his pride. 

“Neil!”

Neil rolled his eyes but was unable to stop the grin from spreading across his pale face. Still, his voice dripped with sarcasm as he spoke, “Oh, _ now _ he notices me.”

“Shut the fuck up and come hug me before I punch you in the throat.”

Neil reflexively grabbed his throat, cradling it protectively in his hands. Apparently, he saw enough truth in Max’s threat because the next moment he joined Nikki and Max in their messy pile of scrawny limbs that somewhat resembled a hug.

Max couldn’t care less if someone’s elbow was jammed into his side, he was just happy his best friends were here. Everyone he truly cared about was here now, crammed into the small two-bedroom home. They could have cared less about the cramped sleeping arrangements, they were together.

That’s all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a kudos and comment! (They really do motivate this fic).
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was a little difficult to write honestly. I'm not quite sure if I like how I wrote Nikki and Neil just yet, so i'll let you guys be the judge. (ya know in later chapters when they have more than two sentences of actual dialogue).
> 
> Again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY LOVELIES


	14. Everyone is Fucking Depressed, Especially Max.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for being so inactive, I've just been feeling really down lately. Anyway, here's the new chapter.
> 
> FAIR WARNING: Check the updated tags for trigger warnings.
> 
> ALSO: When the author gets depressed, she writes angst. HEAVY ANGST AHEAD
> 
> Apology for the shorter chapter, this is all I can do right now but more is to come.

“Holy _ fucking _ shit! David, can you adopt me so I can eat your cooking forever?!” Nikki squealed, her mouth full of spaghetti.

David choked on the involuntary laugh that left him. Gwen slapped him hard on the back after a few awkward moments of David hacking and sputtering up spaghetti.

Max dryly giggled under his breath at the sight of it. He looked over at Nikki’s spaghetti-covered expression and chided, “Nikki, you know he only fostering me right? I’m not legally his kid.”

_ Pff...like they’d want to keep me forever. I’m grateful for the lot I have now, whenever they finally get rid of me I can always live on my own. _

David nodded, finally over his coughing fit and added, “Well not yet, anyway. That’s a long way away. Adoption is a very long and complicated process.” David awkwardly cleared his throat and turned to glance at Max with precaution.

Now it was Max’s turn to choke on his food, earning him odd stares from David and Gwen as they leaned over to help him. Max reflexively flinched away, too overcome by the revelation that he had foolishly not thought about.

He wanted to kick himself... or cry. Honestly, Max was unsure how to feel about it at the moment. The idea of him ever having a real family again had never been an outcome Max was expecting. Truth be told, the best-case scenario he had pictured had been one where Max would continue to live with David in foster care until he turned eighteen. But even that outcome seemed too good to be true.

_ David wants to adopt me. That would make David my…He would be...holy shit. _

“...Max? Earth to Max?” Gwen waved her slender fingers in front of Max’s glassy expression. She huffed when there was no response, 

“Good job, David. You broke him.”

“_Eh?! _ What do you mean, “_I__ broke him”. _ Nikki was the one who said the “A” word.”

Nikki tilted her head, confused, “You mean, _ adoption _?”

Gwen slammed her hand down on Nikki’s mouth, effectively muffling the child. She then turned to yell at David, “That whole “_ Adoption is a hard and lengthy process”, _ bullshit! Can’t you see you freaked him out?!”

The two continued bickerings to one another, like an old married couple. At one point, Gwen let out a loud squeal as Nikki licked up her hand to get her to release her. 

Meanwhile, Max sat there, wishing for nothing more than the ability to vanish into thin air. His brain was just being absurd, he told himself. Still, Max was unable to resist entertaining the ridiculous dream that David would adopt him. 

_ Nobody would ever hurt me again. _

** _What a stupid thought. Don’t you know? In the end, you’ll be the one hurting everyone._ **

“_Max.” _

He looked up as Neil whispered into his ear. Max had failed to notice Neil quietly creep towards him amidst the commotion. Neil smiled softly and offered Max a hand, saying,

“C’mon, let’s go sit on the porch.”

\----------------------------------------------

Neil didn’t know too much about Max’s situation, but he knew enough that his blood boiled at the sheer mention of Max’s cruel father. Neil had been lucky he had slowly come to realize. His father may be weird, but Neil knew his Dad loved him dearly. Both of his parents, though divorced, had always made time for him. That was a luxury his best friend never had, and it wasn’t fucking fair.

Neil and Max made their way out onto the porch steps, both boys plopping themselves down onto the top steps. Dazzling colors lit up the night sky from all the fireworks celebrating the upcoming New Year.

He peeked over to look at Max. His eyes were glued to the starry night sky, fully entranced by the magnificent light show. 

_ He’s gotten skinnier. I don’t think he’s eating anymore. He looks...defeated. _

“Max, your makeup is smudged,” Neil said offhandedly. He needed to carefully traverse around his temper to get Max to open up a little.

To his surprise, Max flashed him a tired smile and began rubbing off the concealer. Dark bags and shallow cheekbones were slowly revealed as the last of the makeup was wiped away. 

“Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Max flinched, but then let out the most pitiful sigh Neil had ever heard.

“I just...I-I don’t…” He took a deep breath, “I don’t deserve any of this.”

Neil’s head whipped sideways as he replied firmly, “Yes, you do. Max, you deserve to be happy, goddammit.”

“It sure as hell doesn’t feel like it.” Max retorted, “I should be happy. My father is far away from me, David and Gwen take amazing care of me, and you guys even came up to visit me. I should be happy, but I’m just...not.”

He sniffed, the barrier was beginning to break, “I have everything I could ever want, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about him. He...broke me. And now that I’m finally away from him, I’m falling apart. If I can’t be happy with the life I have now, why should I deserve to be happy.”

“No one is expecting you to bounce back right away, Max. Nikki and I were talking earlier about how much you’ve changed since camp. You’ve lost your spark, but all of us are here to help you get it back.”

Max turned to look at Neil, his eyes were bloodshot and exhausted. He still seemed unconvinced, but he nodded at Neil’s words. Suddenly, a rain of fireworks filled the sky. Neil looked at his clock and smiled.

“Hey, man. Happy New Year.”

Max rested his head onto his folded arms and whispered back, “Happy New Year.”

\------------------------------------------

A disgusting glob of half-digested spaghetti made a disturbing splash as Max heaved his guts outs once again. In his defense, he really did try to keep it down.

The party had ended hours ago with David and Gwen awkwardly realizing they had missed the countdown due to their petty fighting. Nikki didn’t seem to mind, though. She was happy she had fueled the fight as far as she did. Max had gotten out of bed to puke long after everyone had gone to bed.

His stomach now completely empty, Max let himself fall back against the tub as the sweat dripped down his brow. His breath came in short, panicked gasps as the tears built up in Max’s eyes.

_ This is killing me. I need to stop. _

** _But don’t you deserve it?_ **

_ Probably. _

A soft sob racked Max’s frame as he let out what little water was left in his fragile body. Everything was just too much. He didn’t deserve the love David gave him. He did nothing but treat him like garbage for years. 

_ You’re self-destructive, Max. _

_ You’ve lost your spark, man. _

_ He’s far too fragile. _

Max let his head fall back against the tub with a soft _ thud. _ They weren’t wrong. He was different. Max had gone from being a kid who was just angry at the world to one who had given up on the world altogether. 

Still, he trusted Neil’s words. He just needed to learn how to believe them. Maybe then, he could be happy again.

He had to at least try.

Max took his phone from his back pocket and the headphones still attached to it. Carefully, he slowly untangled them and popped the earbuds in. He went to his playlist and hit shuffle. He nearly cried when the song played.

_ She packed my bags last night, pre-flight. _

_ Zero hours: 9:00 a.m. _

_ And I’m gonna be high as a kite by then. _

Max let his eyes shut as the song played, his head bobbing to the eerily ironic tune.

_ I miss the Earth so much, _ ** _I miss my life_ ** **.**

** _It’s lonely out in space._ **

_ On such a timeless flight… _

\-----------------------------------------

David found Max the next morning.

He was curled up in a little ball with his headphones in and his hood up. David had only awoken so early due to the smell of vomit emanating from the bathroom. He carefully removed the boy’s headphones and tucked them into his sweatshirt pocket. Then gently, David cradled Max in his arms and moved to the living room.

Of course, he knew something was up. It had been weeks and Max had yet to fully get his fiery personality back. Now, he was bone thin and more depressed than ever. David felt like such a failure. He couldn’t force him to eat or be happy. Max had to choose for himself.

“...Sorry.” A broken voice whispered from his cocooned position in David’s arms.

“Me too, bud.” He whispered and placed a firm kiss on the top of Max’s head. He hugged the boy tighter against his chest.

“It’s not that I don’t want you to adopt me, David. I’m just not ready.” Max explained. He buried his face into David’s chest to avoid looking into his eyes.

“That’s okay, Max. You can take as much time as you need. I am not going anywhere, kiddo.” David assured.

The dam broke. Suddenly, the small boy was racked with back-breaking sobs of anguish, hurt, and _ grief. _ That only made David hold the boy even tighter against his chest as he let the boy break down. 

From within the damp fabric of his shirt, amidst his sorrowful tears, Max softly choked out, 

“I love you, David.”

His heart shattered. He knew Max wouldn’t remember saying it in the morning, but it didn’t stop David’s reply.

“I love you too, Max.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment below! They really help me motivate myself.
> 
> Poor Max;-;
> 
> Also sorry, I've watched Rocketman WAY too many times lol


	15. The Author Fails at Writing Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be fluffy but my brain had...other ideas
> 
> TW: Panic Attacks

Nikki and Neil went home two days later, but they promised they’d be back next week for his birthday. In turn, Max promised both of them he would try to perk up a bit by then. It had been a rough few days since David had snitched and called Dr. Kane on him. 

She had not been happy.

Now Max was on this special liquid diet to get his weight back up before school started. Gwen had also not been happy to find out Max had been vomiting every night. However, her punishment had been worse than Max could have imagined…

“NO! I’M NOT GOING TO FUCKING THERAPY! I don’t need a goddamn shrink, Gwen!”

“IT’S PRETTY OBVIOUS YOU DO, GIVEN THAT YOUR ALMOST ELEVEN YEARS OLD AND WEIGH FIFTY-TWO POUNDS!”

“FUCK YOU! IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!”

“LIKE HELL IT ISN’T!”

An agreement was never exactly reached, given that David had stepped in before any blood could be shed. It was David that had offered Max an ultimatum. Max had to gain two pounds every week and a half and participate in whatever punishment David had to give him or he was going to therapy. 

Reluctantly, Max had agreed. 

"Max, this isn't a punishment. We just want to help you get better, kiddo."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "It feels like a fucking punishment."

David sighed and pinched the furrow of his brow as he knelt in front of the boy. 

“Look at me, Max. If you don't stop throwing up everything you eat then your body is going to begin shutting down. It will be slow. It will be painful. I do _not _want that for you. No matter how hard you might push me away, I will _ never _ give up on you."

** _He says this now, but what will he think in a month? Eventually, he'll become tired of your shit and get rid of you._ **

_ Just like everyone else. _

"Do you understand, Max?"

Max thought about for a long moment until finally, he allowed his cold and unattached attitude to take over.

"Whatever, sure."

That had been five days ago and Max was sorely regretting his decision. Everything _hurt. _ Even though his stomach growled terribly, the mere thought of eating made Max want to puke his brains out. Then when Max _did _eat, it was almost as if some ravenous monster had taken over his body, forcing him to inhale everything in sight.

Only to vomit it up again later.

Max understood now why some people had eating disorders. Finding a middle ground between the two was the most painful experience imaginable. He knew everyone’s experience was different but he never imagined how hellish it must be.

Overall, Max had gained 1.5 pounds in five days. It was a good start, but nowhere near the 65lbs goal, Dr. Kane had set. At this rate, he'd never get out of this house. Of course, he liked living here, but he'd been cooped up in the house for weeks and was beginning to get a bit stir crazy. He needed air. Soon.

“Hey, Max?” Someone knocked at the door. _ Gwen. _

“The fuck do _ you _ want?” He snapped, not in the mood for company.

She opened the door to glare at him and then smiled sarcastically, “Dinnertime, shithead.”

Max’s groan of complaint echoed throughout the house. 

_ Maybe a bit sooner than "soon". _

\-----------------------------------------------

“Oh _come on _...just...Oh, I had it in upside down,” David mumbled as he fiddled with his house keys. The lock clicked open and David quickly entered the house, wanting desperately to get out of the cold.

“Hellooo~ I’m home!” He called out cheerfully. David moved to the closet to remove his suffocating winter gear. Slipping the toboggan off his head, he shook the snow wildly out from his hair. He then turned to neatly put up his gear when he paused, confused by the lack of Max’s winter apparel.

_ Odd. _

“Gwen?” He called, entering the kitchen to search for the redhead. He heard shuffling and a loud snort emanating from the den. He was greeted by the sight of Gwen, wearing nothing but an extremely large t-shirt and some boyshorts. She looked as if she had just been abruptly awoken. David’s face went red for a moment before his paternal instincts took back over.

“Where’s Max?”

Gwen looked confused and paused to rub the sleep out of her eyes before responding,

“He’s in his room taking a nap? I sent him to bed after he finished dinner because he was acting like a fucking four-year-old.”

“His coat and shoes are gone.”

Gwen shook her head, even more, confused than before. 

“No one has left the house, David. I would’ve heard the door open.”

His blood ran cold and David bolted to Max’s door, only to find locked. He knocked loudly, the panic beginning to seep into his voice as he yelled,

“Max?! Max, open the door!”

No response.

He grabbed the penny he kept above the door and effortlessly unlocked the wooden door, not hesitating to open it immediately. Max’s room was spotless, freezing cold...and empty. David eyed the open window near the desk. His heart stopped.

_ He’s gone. _

“David, I found a note,” Gwen said as she solemnly handed him the crumpled piece of notebook paper that had Max’s scrawl on it

_ Gwen, _

_ Don’t freak out first off, I’m fine. _

_ Second off, I didn’t run away in case you were wondering. _

_ I just went to get some air. _

_ Be back soon. _

_ Max. _

\------------------------------------------------

_ I’ll be back before anyone even knows I’m gone. And if I’m not, I’m probably fucked. _

His phone buzzed from his jacket pocket for the fourth time in the past five minutes.

_ Definitely fucked. _

Still, it was so nice to finally get out of the house. Sure it was cold as fuck, but Max didn’t mind. He had been smart enough to heed David’s warning after he had almost frozen to death the first time.

The crisp winter air flowed smoothly through Max’s lungs as he turned the corner of the street. He had made it to the downtown area in record time. He looked back at the bus stop where he had stumbled off into the snow so many weeks ago. 

So much had changed since then. 

He had found a home. One with people who gave a damn about him. He was less angry now, a bit depressed but Max was finally realizing that it is okay to be a total mess. David and Gwen still seemed to care about him, for now at least.

_ THUD. _

A loud crash echoed from the alley Max had wandered next to. Max jumped, startled, but still curious enough to investigate the sound. He carefully crept into the dirty snow-filled alleyway and peeked behind the large dumpster in the back corner. He discovered dozens of empty boxes, half-consumed tofu containers, and multiple beer bottles scattered across the ground. He was just about to turn away when one of the boxes made a suspicious cry.

Max knelt onto the snow and picked up the discarded tissue box. He brushed the snow off the box and looked inside.

_ Holy shit. _

\----------------------------------------

“What do you mean, ‘You stay here while I look for Max’?! I'M HIS DA-...guardian.”

David gulped, the unspoken word sitting heavy in his throat. 

"I-I'm...his guardian." His voice broke slightly on the final word.

Gwen didn't waste a moment. She threw her arms around David, allowing him to sob freely into her shoulder.

"I'll find him, David." Gwen soothed, a burst of nervousness rose within her chest before she swiftly conquered it. She tilted her face inward to give David a chaste, but sweet kiss against his brow.

Gwen waited until she had David's flushed gaze locked within her own before declaring softly,

"I promise."

David nodded, still grief-stricken and mildly flustered, before receding from her embrace. 

"Now stay here and wait to see if he comes back, okay? I'm going to make a couple of loops around the neighborhood before I check downtown."

David sniffled once before nodding to her robotically. It pained Gwen to leave him like this but she really had no other choice.

Gwen bundled herself up in her own winter gear before heading out to find the little shit.

_ Hopefully, he comes back home before _ ** _I _ ** _find him. That kid is in so much fucking trouble. _

Meanwhile, David sat quietly on Max's bed, clutching Mr. Honeynuts tightly in his chest. It was then David realize this was the first time being home alone in his own house in weeks.

Though he had lived there for several years, it no longer felt like home.

It just felt...empty.

\----------------------------------------

_ *Click* _

David jolted awake at the sound of the window. He anxiously stumbled off the bed to see if Max had indeed returned only to find no one was there.

He felt his heart clench tightly and he was about to return to his spot on the bed when he noticed the snow was no longer perfect and untouched.

Though the dim light from the setting sun made it hard to see, there were tiny _ Max-sized _footprints in the snow. 

And they were fresh.

_ The front door! _

David wasted no time scrambling away from the window and bolting to unlock the front door. His shaky hands fiddled with the lock for a moment before finally, the door swung open to reveal…

Nothing.

_ I'm losing my mind. _

David's knees finally gave out and he sank onto the cold hardwood floor. His anxiety finally catching up with him as he broke down into uncontrollable sobs.

He was terrified. Terrified that he'd never see Max again. Terrified that he was out there alone, freezing to death in the cold Maine weather. Or worse, he'd been taken.

*THUMP* *THUD* *THUMP*

David's grief was cut short by the sudden noise. He almost didn't want to believe it, positive that his mind was once again messing with him. 

Max's door suddenly burst open and out of it emerged a snow-covered ten-year-old clutching a pair of knee-high socks in one hand, the other was shoved into his sweatshirt pocket in a manner that almost seemed...protective?

"M-Max?!" David cried, overcome by a sudden flood of emotions ranging from relief to utter confusion.

Max whipped around suddenly to face him and David noticed immediately something was wrong. His eyes were filled with panic and his entire body was shivering violently.

"You can scream all you want at me later, but for right now _ help me." _

Max reached into his sweatshirt pocket almost like he was trying to soothe something. Then with his small freezing hands, Max pulled out the tiniest kitten David had ever seen.

_ Oh. _

_ \------------------------------------------- _

_ Crap, crap, crap. Please don't die little guy. _

Max had never run home faster in his life. 

_ Hang in there, buddy. _

He was pretty sure he'd nearly been run over twice that night but he didn't care. Nestled safely within the inner layer of his sweatshirt was the cutest fucking kitten Max had ever seen.

Sure the poor thing was half-frozen and had God knows how many fleas, not to mention the nasty infection building up in its left eye, but Max was going to save this goddamn kitten if it killed him.

_ I wonder if this is how David felt when he found me half dead in the snow. Karma's a motherfucking bitch. _

He was terrified. Max was so scared the kitten would die before he could make it home. 

Against all odds, the little fucker managed to hang in there. It was almost as if it was determined to fight against Mother Nature herself and survive.

Perhaps the kitten's badass nature was the reason Max was so determined to save it.

_ Fucking Karma. _

After ten long minutes of endless jaywalking and leaping over garbage cans, he made it home.

Max had just pulled up the window a bit when he realized it would probably be safer to go through the front door.

That way he didn't accidentally crush the poor kitten who was still in his coat. Max dashed to the front door and fiddled with the handle for a moment before realizing it was locked.

_ Oh for fuck's sake. _

Spinning on his heel, Max flew down the steps once more and headed towards his window.

Max lifted the window up to wear the opening was just big enough for him. He then took off his hat and gently placed the kitten inside. Max then carefully climbed up high enough to where he was able to shove his body halfway through the window. 

He wobbled for a moment before quickly setting the kitten onto the hardwood floor. Max carefully nudged the cat as far away from the window as possible before loudly crashing onto the wooden floor with a thud.

Max didn't waste any time. He scooped the kitten back into his jacket pocket and grabbed a pair of knee-high soccer socks from his dresser.

Then the boy burst through the door in a mad dash for the kitchen.

\---------------------------------

David scrambled to grab his phone from his back pocket. He quickly unlocked it and called Gwen.

She answered on the first ring.

"Did he come ba-" "GWEN GET SOME FUCKING PEDIALYTE FROM THE STORE AND A BABY SYRINGE," Max screamed from across the room, not even caring that he had interrupted her. 

"MAX WHAT THE ACTUAL SHIT FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! I SWEAR TO GOD WHEN I GET HOME ILL MAKE YOU WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN." Gwen screamed back.

"TOO FUCKING LATE. GET SOME GODDAMN PEDIALYTE." 

"DAVID WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Before David responded he quickly ran over to pluck Max off the counter and grabbed the bag of uncooked rice he'd been reaching for.

"Max...found a kitten."

No response.

Max wasn't paying attention he was frantically shoving rice into one of the socks, grains of rice already littering the floor.

David moved to help begin filling the other sock. That's when he heard Gwen take a deep breath.

"I'm gonna fucking kill both of you."

Max nodded, "Whatever, just get Pedialyte and the syringe beforehand."

David heard Gwen's repressed scream of frustration through the receiver before it abruptly cut off.

"M-Max, hand the cat to me. I need to see if it's still alive."

Max glared daggers at him before replying harshly, "He's fine! I just checked on him."

"_ Max." _

Max let out a frustrated scream before carefully retrieving the cat and placing it gently into David's hands.

The poor thing was freezing and by some miracle still alive. _ What a fighter. _

He flipped the kitten over on its back to check if he had any more concerning injuries. That's when he noticed.

"How's he doing?" Max asked suddenly. He had just finished tying a knot into both socks and was placing both of them in the microwave.

"_ She." _

"Huh?" Max sputtered. 

"_He_ is actually a _she_. It's a girl." David announced.

"_ Whoopty fucking doo. _ Where the HELL is Gwen?!" Max snapped.

"Relax Max, all we need to worry about is getting her warm. She won't be able to eat much right now anyhow." He soothed.

One thing David had quickly picked up about Max is that when he was scared his emotions went ballistic. It was a good thing he was here and not Gwen, otherwise, the two would be going for each other's throats. They both had such a temper. 

The microwave beep and Max violently yanked the handle open. David winced, his poor microwave. His chest felt stiff.

_ I'm not okay right now. _

Max's hand reached for both of the warm rice socks and carefully made a closed circle with them.

The perfect heating pad.

David gently set the little lady onto her new bed and watched in awe as she immediately snuggled closer to the warmth.

Suddenly Max bolted out of the kitchen and dashed for the thermostat cranking the heat to MAX. 

Then for a brief moment, there was peace.

That's when the whirlwind of emotions slammed back into David, sending him buckling to the ground. 

"David!" Max yelled.

His chest ached and he felt like sobbing till he was nothing more than a dried-out raisin. Today had been too much for David. Too much fear. Too much of "not knowing". 

Too much pain.

The fear of losing Max, _again_, had shaken him to his core. Waves of anxiety and terror lapped brutally over him and David cried out.

"David. _ David. _I need you to breathe. You're having a p-panic attack." Max spoke in a soft voice. It didn't suit him.

It didn't sound like _his _kid. 

He couldn't breathe. He seriously couldn't breathe. His breath was coming out in increasingly shorter pants and it felt like someone had dropped an anvil on his chest and refused to lift it. When he still refused to inhale properly, Max began panicking.

"P-Please breathe! David! Breathe!" Max cried his small frozen hand clutched his in a death grip. "You're scaring me."

Now Max was crying. They were both losing it on the kitchen floor.

"Please, _ D-Dad_. Breathe." Max whimpered brokenly.

In the distance, David heard a door slam shut and angry footsteps that followed. They stopped suddenly and there was a loud thud, followed by more footsteps. Then Gwen was there.

"_David_. David, listen to me. I need you to listen."

He nodded weakly.

He felt a cold hand press against his cheek. The hand then clutched at his own hands and Gwen spoke softly.

"David, what are five things you _hear_ right?"

"Huh?" He mumbled, confused at the random question. Still, her soothing voice compelled him to answer the absurd question.

"..U-um...I hear y-you...and M-Max." He croaked. He was still hyperventilating but her calmness seemed to ease the tight constriction of his chest.

"Good. Very good. What else?" She asked.

His frantic thoughts made it difficult but he managed to rattle off three more sounds.

"I-I hear...the d-dishwasher...and um...the AC…" He took a shaky breath and wheezed out, "The...u-um...TV?"

Gwen smiled, "Awesome, now tell me four things you _see_ right now."

_ What is she doing? _

"I...see _ you _." David gave her a wobbly smile. The tightness in his chest slowly ebbing away. "I see Max." 

His throat hitched. He was so relieved that he saw Max. 

"I see the kitten...and I...erm...I see the front door...is still open." He attempted to joke but it came out hoarse and pathetic.

"_ Oh shit_. U-Uh awesome, now how about three things you _feel_."

"It's...cold in here. I feel...the...um, floor? And I feel the cabinet...I'm leaning on."

It didn't hurt so badly anymore.

"David, two things you _smell_." Max piped, wiping away his tears.

"Heh...Gwen's perfume. And...um...Max?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" 

"You smell...like a dumpster right now." 

Max let out a breathless laugh, too weak to be real but too..._ Max-like _to not be real.

"Almost there. David, what's one thing you _know_?" Gwen said.

The pain was gone. Sure he was still upset but he wasn't freaking out anymore. David took a moment to sit up from the wooden floor before answering.

"I'm..._okay_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor david:( I honestly didn't mean to write him having a panic attack but once I started I couldn't stop. Also MAX SAID THE THINGGGGGGGGG i hope that makes up for it.


	16. Karma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for 5000 notes!!! I honestly never dreamed this fanfic would get so much love and support. You guys are the best.

Once it was all over, the three worked silently to clean up the mess of rice grains that littered the kitchen floor. After everything had been swept and neatly tided, Gwen made hot chocolate for them all. Max moved the kitten to the living room and allowed her rest atop the coffee table on her warm rice bags and the heating pad Gwen had purchased for her. 

As soon as Max had made sure the kitten was warming up and comfortable, he curled up against David, begrudgingly putting his pride aside for once in his goddamn life. Gwen had chosen to sit in David’s recliner, clearly still processing the disastrous events of the day as her brow furrowed with disappointment.

No one spoke for a long time. The three of them sat there in deafening silence, sipping hot chocolate and watching the kitten sleep soundly. 

To everyone’s surprise, it was Max who spoke first. 

“I’m sorry.” He said quietly before burying his face in David’s shirt. 

“What were. _ ..mff _ ” Gwen paused before trying again, this time in a kinder tone, “What were you thinking, Max?”

Though it was muffled by the fabric of David’s shirt, she could hear Max utter, “I-I...didn’t mean to...I-I just needed to get out of the house. I n-never meant to cause...any of this.”

“It’s not your fault, Max,” David reassured while running his fingers through his thick curls. “You were raised in a house where you could sneak out and not ever get caught. I don’t quite know what happened earlier, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“B-But...if I hadn’t...run off...you wouldn't have…” His voice broke. “I’m just..really fucking sorry. I’m sorry I’m such a fuck-up.”

“ _ No _ , Max, look at me. You are the most amazing kid and I’m so glad you’re my foster son. I’m _so_ proud of you. You’re beginning to open up to us and you're trying your hardest to get healthier. You’ve come so far in such a short time."

Max would’ve cried then and there if he wasn’t so emotionally numb and exhausted. He settled instead for a wobbly smile that almost reached his eyes. From across the room, Gwen cleared her throat before speaking,

“Max, you’ve been through more shit than most people. It’s so goddamn unfair what happened to you and if one day I get a chance, I’ll drag your father down to hell with me. But, despite your past, you _survived_ and that says a lot about you.”

Gwen eyed the sleeping kitten and then added, “You’re a lot like  _ her _ actually. You’re both so young and have had such a rough life. But despite every hurdle you’ve faced, both of you have persevered.”

David grinned, “We should keep her then.”

Max whipped his head back around so fast it nearly gave him whiplash, “W-Wait...are you serious? I can keep her?”

David looked at Gwen who just shrugged saying, “Listen, I’m moving across the street in like a week, that’s your call, Dave.”

He turned back to Max, who had the most hopeful expression on his face. His sparkling green eyes were impossible to deny anything from. If he could, he’d give Max the world. So why not a cat?

“She’d be your responsibility, Max. You feed her. You brush her. You bathe her. All that stuff, am I clear?” David asked, raising a brow.

“Yes! Of course!” Max exclaimed. “Thank you! Thank you!” 

Max hugged David tightly, which was a rarity David would never deny.

“You’re still extremely grounded, kiddo,” David mumbled into his curls, sighing when there was no pushback.

“What are you going to name her, Max?” Gwen asked, fiddling with her empty hot chocolate mug.

He thought for a while, but in the end, there was only one name ironic enough for his taste. Max slid off the couch to kneel by the small kitten. She had pure black fur that was loaded with fleas and an infected eye that was concerning. Ironically, the infected eye was the only area of her tiny body where there was white fur. The white circle wrapped around her almond-shaped eyes that were shut tight. She was perfect. 

“ _ Karma _ . She’s my good karma.”

\--------------------------------------------

The days went by and slowly Karma began to improve. After she had thawed out completely, David had helped Max give her a bath and together they spent hours picking out every single flea and speck of dirt until she was flawless. 

David guessed she was probably about a week old, given how tiny she was. He'd spent the last few days of his vacation helping Max take care of Karma until finally, David went back to work for the first time since Max had come to live with him. It was a big adjustment for Max. He was so used to seeing David all the time that the sudden absence was a bit jarring and...sad. Luckily, he had Karma and Gwen to keep him company.

Not that Karma did much, she slept most of the time and everyone had to take shifts to feed and care for her. Still, Max thought the world of her already.

It was nearing Max’s birthday and that meant Nikki and Neil. Max was so excited to show his friends his precious Karma. Already, Max had sent numerous photos and videos of her, mostly sleeping, to them.

It was amazing how much joy a tiny ball of fur could bring him.

\----------------------------------------------

“Hey, Max?” David called from the kitchen. 

Max was in the living room feeding Karma with her baby syringe. Once she had finished, Max had to apply her eye ointment and eye drops for her left eye. While the swelling had gone down, her eye wouldn’t stop lubricating. David had told him it was due to the infection that her eye continually produced tears, just at a slower rate. 

“Maaaxx?” David called again.

“Shit, sorry. Yeah, David?” He responded. He heard David snort from the kitchen.

“Just out of curiosity is there anything special you wanted to do for your birthday? Anywhere you wanted to go?” He mused.

Karma whined when Max applied the eye drops, she always did. Her eyes were slowly starting to open. It had been the greatest day of Max’s life when he discovered she had the same emerald eyes he did. 

“Max? Are you listening?” 

Max set Karma back down on her heating pad then walked to the kitchen. He peered over the countertop to see what it was David was cooking and why it smelled so fucking good.

“Earth to Max?”

_ Oh. _

“I dunno maybe roller skating or a movie or something like that. You know I’m not that picky.” He mumbled. His birthday wasn’t exactly his favorite thing in the world, but he was holding out hope that this year would be different.

“Oh!” David gasped suddenly, “How about we all go ice skating?”

_ Frozen water. Gross. _

“I don’t like water, David,” Max added, snatching a handful of croutons from the bag David had left open. “I can’t swim either.”

"Eat slowly, Max. Remember your stomach." David warned softly.

Max nodded.

“And anyway, the lake is frozen solid, Max. No swimming involved. It’s similar to roller skating but in my opinion, it's way more fun.” 

“That’s because you’re a fucking maple leaf, dipshit. You like hockey and free healthcare.” Max chuckled.

That earned Max a playful swat from David, who chuckled and chided him for his foul language.

“I think you guys would really enjoy it. I know Nikki will at least.” 

Max huffed imagining Nikki chasing them around with sticks but this time amped with the power of ice skates. He sighed, “Fine, I guess I’ll give it a shot.” 

"Amazing! One more thing, I've got an appointment set up for Karma so they can make sure she's on the road to recovery and also to check out her left eye."

Max nodded. He hoped her eye had been healing properly, after all, he had done all the medications on time, every day. He also knew he was applying the medication correctly.

He just didn't understand why her eye wasn't improving.

"Chin up, Max. That kitten will be as healthy as an ox pretty soon."

David smiled fondly at him and then went back to his cooking.

\-----------------------------------------

_ Nope. Fuck this. Actually fuck this. _

Max slammed into the boundary wall, latching on tightly to the railing as his feet slid precariously underneath him.

This had been a bad idea and yet  _ somehow _ he'd let David convince him. 

Meanwhile, the Canadian glided elegantly across the rink, not shying away from performing graceful spins and leaps. 

Max huffed, annoyed.

It was the eve of his birthday and he was less than pleased. Gwen was stuck in traffic after picking up Nikki and Neil from the train station, and so now Max was stuck with the nerd inside of an oversized ice bucket.

Slowly, Max began delicately sliding his feet in an awkward attempt to escape to the benches. Using the boundary as support, he was making decent progress, that was until David snaked his long limbs around his waist and pulled him away from the safety of the wall. 

Max flailed for a moment in an attempt to make David lose his balance so he could scramble to safety. Much to his dismay, David barely wobbled. Max cursed loudly.

“Son of a bitch, lemme go! I swear to God,  _ I will elbow you in the balls, David _ .” 

David sighed, “ _ Language, Max _ . Will you at least let me attempt to show you how before you completely reject it?”

Max mulled over his options for a moment. If he said no he knew it would hurt David’s feelings and then he’d feel like shit for the rest of the day. He’d much rather avoid David looking at him like a kicked puppy.

_ When did I become so fucking soft? Bastard is rubbing off on me. _

Max groaned, “ _ Fine. _ But I can quit whenever I want, got it?

“Got it.” David chirped, clearly pleased that there had been no fight. He gently grabbed hold of Max’s hands and gently pulled himself backward. This sent Max slowly gliding forward across the ice. 

_ Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh sh- _

“You’re okay, Max. I promise not to let you fall.” David whispered. Max kicked himself internally, he was becoming far too easy to read. The two glided easily across the rink, well Max maybe less so. The boy was hunched over slightly, still fearful of losing his balance.

“Straighten up, Max. You’ll definitely fall if you lean over so far.”

** _Straighten up, boy. You sit up straight at a dinner table._ **

“Sorry.” Max ducked, trying his best to square his shoulders and maintain his balance..

“Don’t apologize, you’re learning and it takes time,” David assured, gliding them around the rink as slowly as possible. “Watch my feet, do you see how I stroke them across the ice? This is how you gain momentum so you can skate, it’s somewhat similar to rollerblading.”

“Okay, like this?” Max asked, doing his best to mimic the movements David had made.

“Hmm...almost. You need to pull your feet closer in, they’re too far apart.”

** _If you can’t obey me, then maybe you and I should go for a swim. Is that what you want, Max?_ **

“How about now?” Max said, shifting his feet closer inwards on the ice that suddenly didn’t feel quite as sturdy.

“Perfect! You are doing great, Max. You’ll be a pro in no time!” David cheered, his pride evident on his face. Max, however, didn’t feel like he’d really accomplished anything. 

“Alright, now you need to push them out one at a time. Think of it as marching your feet, but softer.” 

** _I mean, really, son. What eight-year-old doesn’t know how to swim?_ **

His chest felt heavy but he carried on, slowly shuffling his feet across the ice in an awkward march. He was surprised when one of his strides was too strong and he wound up crashing into David, who somehow still didn’t fall over. 

David wrapped his arms loosely around him for a moment before pulling back to their original position, “Oops, careful! You don’t want to go too fast, we haven’t even learned how to stop yet!”

“Sorry, David.” He muttered, the smile he had plastered on his face not quite reaching his eyes.

Thankfully, David didn’t seem to notice, merely chiding him about apologizing again before continuing to teaching him the basics of how to stop and how to fall without injuring yourself.

“Isn’t that kind of contradictory? Shouldn’t I be learning how to  _ not _ fall?” Max mused at one point. 

“Well nobody  _ wants _ to fall, of course. However, gravity is still gravity and falling is inevitable. That’s why it’s important to learn this technique.”

“I think I got it. Squat down with your hands in front of you and try to land on your side. Sounds easy enough.” He babbled nervously, his hands instinctively began tapping anxiously against one another.

** _It’s high time you learned._ **

“Max? You okay?” David said suddenly. Max looked up from his feet to see David stare at him with worrisome teal eyes.

***

** _“I believe the best way to teach a child to swim is by self-education.”_ **

_ “What? Wai-NO! Father, please!” _

_ The cold water hit Max like a ton of bricks, instantly chilling him to the bone. He flailed his limbs helplessly in a desperate attempt to keep his head above water.  _

** _“Now, you will either learn to swim or drown.”_ **

_ But Max couldn’t swim, no matter how hard he fought. Algae-ridden water forced itself inside Max’s mouth as he was unable to keep himself from inhaling. His lungs burned and his movements were beginning to slow. The freezing lake water quickly drained all the energy from Max and his head finally slid underneath the waves.  _

_ It could have been seconds or even hours, but somehow Max ended up landing hard against the mud-covered Earth. His lungs sputtered and wheezed as he violently expelled the water from them onto the ground. His ears picked up a disgusted sigh, followed by heavy footsteps. _

_ A hand reached down, snaking underneath his shoulder, and jerking him to his feet. His head sagged against his own shoulder as he made out the anger in his Father’s expression. Max was too weak to dodge the hand that sent him reeling back toward the ground. He waited until the white-hot heat faded until a dull ache before he made eye contact with his father. _

**_“You’ll never be anything but a failure._** **_What did I do to deserve such a pathetic excuse for a son?”_**

***

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Max replied.

\-----------------------------

After fifteen minutes of further techniques and unnecessary safety instructions, Max felt a lot more confident in his ability. It no longer felt like he was teetering on the edge of death...or a nasty fall. 

That was until David asked if he was ready for him to let go.

"Let...go?" Max gulped his chest growing tighter.

David squeezed his warm hands gently against Max's and assured, "I promised to not let you fall, remember? You're completely safe.

_ Safe. David is safe. As long as I'm with David, I'm safe. _

"Okay, I trust you...I guess. But if you break your promise, I'll sell your social security number." He threatened.

David laughed nervously, it seemed he didn't doubt that Max was telling the truth. 

"Noted. Are you ready?"

Max took a deep breath, then nodded. 

David slowly removed his hands from him and backed up a few feet.

It felt...weird. If he had to compare the feeling to anything he would say it felt like riding a bike without training wheels for the first time. 

It was like he knew he could easily fall but he also knew that he wouldn't.

Max took a hesitant glide forward and then another, each stroke quicker and more confident than the last. 

He propelled himself forward one final time before reaching David. His hands were extended outward to catch him and his eyes shone with pride.

Max stretches out his own hands and firmly caught David's hands within his own.

He exhaled.

"YEAH! WAY TO GO MAX!" A voice called out from the stands.

"KICK ICE SKATING RIGHT IN THE ASS, MAX!" A different voice cheered.

Max's head whipped around to see Gwen sitting on top of the boundary wall, looking dangerously smug. Behind her, Nikki and Neil. Nikki was hopping up and down on top of one of the benches, while Neil sat next to her, his arms waving frantically.

Max waved back and yelled, "Hey guys!"

"Hurry up and get your skates on! You too, Gwen!" David added.

Gwen rolled her eyes and hopped off the wall, a wide grin pasted across her face. Max watched as they all made their way toward the shoe rental.

He turned back to look at David, who was still beaming. He ran a hand through his curls before speaking,

"You did amazing, Max. I'm so proud of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am determined to make David as Canadian as humanly possible.
> 
> I hope you guys like the name I picked out for the cat! I went through SO many different names before I settled on Karma, it honestly just fit the best.


	17. Miscommunications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SORRY. I LOVE YOU. HERE, TAKE IT.

"_WOOOOOHOOOOOO_!!!"

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, NIKKI. YOU'RE GOING TO KILL US!"

"I think I'm going to hurl…"

Gwen sipped her hot chocolate as she watched the three stooges, who were linked shoulder to shoulder spin one round and round. It was like watching the world's lamest tornado. In her free hand, she held a wrinkled envelope that seemed to have taken a beating. As much as she didn’t want to fight David on Max’s birthday, it was becoming increasingly more difficult to put off. Besides, she still hadn’t talked to David about what had happened with him the night they found Karma.

This discussion had been a long time coming.

“Have they killed each other yet?” A familiar voice spoke to her from behind, and Gwen quickly stashed the letter in her purse. David took his seat next to her and handed Gwen a fresh parmesan pretzel from the concession stand. She hummed with appreciation as she quickly took a bite from the eighth wonder of the world.

Still, a perfectly cooked pretzel wouldn’t save David from the ear-lashing she was about to unfold upon him.

She was just about to pull the envelope from her bag when David asked, “You got the letter didn’t you?”

_ Son of a bitch. _

“How the_ hell._..God, you can read me way too easily, it’s honestly unnerving.” Gwen gaped, suddenly at a loss for words.

“I’m not sorry,” he said blatantly, shrugging his shoulders as if the whole thing was no big deal.

“Christ, David. You can’t just purchase my apartment for me and expect me to just go along with it. I don’t need or _ want _ your charity.” Gwen snapped back in a quiet tone, her temper slowly building.

“Gwen, it’s not charity. When Max first arrived, you left your entire life to move here without even blinking. You’ve done _ so _ much for Max and I. Did you _ really _ think I wouldn't repay you for that?” David was facing Gwen now, looking deadly serious and firm. 

“_No!_ _I didn’t!_ I am your friend, David. Friends do things for other friends and don’t expect repayment. They _definitely_ don’t expect them to _purchase a fucking house for them!” _Gwen was practically shouting now, but she didn’t care. This was ridiculous and she would _not_ let David waste his money on her.

David suddenly shot up from his seat and whipped around to face her.

“_Then maybe we aren’t 'just' friends, Gwen.” _ he hissed, his eyes glinting with fresh tears that threatened to spill over. As quickly as he stood to face her, he shot back around to lean heavily against the empty seats in front of him.

Gwen sat there in stunned silence. In all the years she had known him, David had never come so close to yelling at her. It just wasn’t in his nature. 

There was a loud thud and the two looked up from their argument to see Nikki and Neil had both slipped and fallen. They were both staring at the two, and to their left, a few feet away, stood Max. He had witnessed the entire fight. Max glared at the two for a moment before skating off the rink. He stopped briefly to remove his skates and then bolted out the door.

“_Crap_,” David muttered, quickly taking off after the boy. Gwen didn't move, stunned by the sudden wave of self-loathing that crashed over her.

\----------------------------

_ Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar. _

_ He lied to me. He promised me he’d stop fighting with Gwen. He promised and he _**lied**.

_ I’m _ **_not_ ** _doing this bullshit a second time. _

Max had this talent. He was insanely good at hide-and-seek. He had to be. Years of being beaten by his father had taught him to seek out those clever nooks inside the giant empty house he’d spent his childhood in. Even though Max disliked cramped spaces he never shied away from the forgotten storage cabinet or loose air duct. They were his haven, his sanctuary. 

Though admittedly, this was not his best example. 

As soon as Max had cleared the entryway, he immediately had bolted toward the car. He had easily snatched the car keys from David earlier so unlocking the car hadn’t been an issue. Once inside, Max crawled underneath the backseats and tried his best to shut himself out of his own mind. 

It hadn’t even been ten minutes when Max heard the door handle jiggle and a light tapping against the glass. He rolled his eyes and curled further in on himself. It wasn’t until the person outside spoke that Max turned.

“Let me in, Max. It’s freezing!” Nikki pleaded. From his spot underneath the seat, Max could just barely make out distinctive tufts of light blue hair. Max rolled back onto his side and clicked the unlock button on the keys. 

He watched as the skinny _almost_ eleven-year-old climbed on top of the backseats and closed the door. Immediately, Max locked the car and scooted his backside against the rear of the truck

There was silence for a long time because for the first time ever, Nikki seemed to be at a loss for words. 

“It’s fine, Nik, you don’t have to comfort me,” Max muttered, pulling up the hood of his sweatshirt over his curls.

“There are so many things I want to say but I cannot figure out how to say them. I’m at a loss, Max. I’m so sorry.” Nikki whispered. Max could see bright blue ringlets hang off the side of the seats from where Nikki was mirroring his position atop the seats.

“Not your fault so whatever, I guess.”

They sat there in silence for what seemed an eternity of awkward atmosphere before a small pale hand with dirty nails and a scar that stretched from her thumb to her wrist reached down over the seats. Max stared for a long moment and just before it seemed like Nikki had changed her mind Max tentatively wrapped his own hand around hers.

“No matter what happens, Max.** I’m here.** Always.” She declared softly in the fading sunlight.

They sat there together for a long time. Nikki's grip on Max's hand never faltered and held strong until another loud knock on the window broke the silence. She squeezed his hand once more before letting go to unlock the door.

"Max?!" David's voice cried out and Max poked his head out from under the backseat to see David's expression shift from immense anxiety to pure relief. 

Max flinched as memories of David's anxiety attack practically slapped him in the face. His stomach churned with guilt as he remembered how helpless he had felt watching David crumple in on himself. 

Amidst the guilt swelling in his gut, another monster lay agitated. _ Anger_. David had still lied to him and Max would not let that slide. He knew he was being dramatic but frankly, he didn't give a damn.

Max's brow furrowed. As much as he wanted to give David the silent treatment for a couple of days, Max knew neither of them would be able to stand it.

_ A few hours on the other hand… _

Well, both David and Gwen deserved that much. 

Max quickly wiped away any lingering emotion before crawling out from under the backseat. Without a word, he plopped in the chair closest in the middle and buckled his seatbelt.

From the corner of his eye, he saw traces of self-loathing flicker across his face before David turned away Be to face a blurry figure behind him. Max scooted closer, positioning his body to make it appear he was talking to Nikki. Suddenly, the door opened and a shivering Neil crawled over the two and sat in the seat next to Max. With his free hand, Max reached over Nikki to prop the door slightly open in order to hear the conversation.

Neil patted his arm, causing Max to turn. The curly-haired boy held out his hand in a fist, signaling Max to open up his other hand. Neil dropped a tiny microphone meant to amplify audio, along with it came a miniature speaker. 

“Neil...you’re a _ goddamn treasure_,” Max whispered astonishedly. Nikki grabbed the microphone and held it so that the nub was partially out the door, easily picking up the conversation between David and Gwen.

_ “...We can’t….Max like...again…” _

_ “...know...our own...problems...sorry, David…” _

Max turned to see Neil fiddling with the dial on the speaker. The device sputtered out more garbled nonsense for a moment before it screamed out a loud pause of static and then echoed out clear words.

“_ You need that money, David. I’d feel horrible if I let you pay the down payment.” _

_ “Gwen, I know you’d love to argue with me about this for days on end, but my mind is made up. I refuse to let you move down here, ALL TO HELP ME WITH MAX _ ** _,_ ** _ without repayment.” _

_ “Then we’ve reached a stalemate. One of us has to budge at least a little, David.” _

_ “C’mon Gwen...please let me do this for you…” _

_ “Hell no…” _ There was a brief pause before Gwen resumed, _ “You pay twenty-five percent. Put the puppy dog eyes away, David.” _

_ “And make you pay three-fourths? No, if anything I should be the one paying seventy-five percent.” _

_ “Fuck that. Fifty percent, take it, or leave it.” _

_ “Are we seriously negotiating this, Gwen?” _

_ “I SAID, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.” _

A long frustrating sigh echoed from the speaker, there was a long moment of silence before David’s voice muttered through the receiver, _ “Deal.” _

_ “Good, now get your flat Canadian ass in the truck.” _

_ “...Yes, ma’am.” _

Max quickly yanked the microphone and speaker out of the hands of his friends before unceremoniously shoving both pieces into his sweatshirt. 

Gwen slid into the passenger seat, wasting no time before propping her boots on the dash. David followed suit as he climbed into the driver seat and turned around to face the children in the backseat.

David attempted to catch Max’s gaze, but the boy kept his eyeliner firmly on the ground. After a minute of waiting for the boy to look up, Gwen interrupted.

“Why don’t we all go get Starbucks? It's too cold for ice cream anyway…”

Nikki and Neil screamed with excitement while Max simply nodded his head listlessly at the question. David tried not to let the lackluster response get under his skin, the kid had a right to be angry after all.

The ride to Starbucks had an air of tension to it, although Nikki, Gwen, and Neil did their best to keep the conversation afloat. The strain between Max and David eventually caused everyone to go quiet. It wasn’t until they pulled into the parking lot that David spoke, 

“Why don’t the three of you go on ahead, Max and I need to _ talk _.”

Max paled. He knew he wouldn’t be able to withstand David’s moping, at least not in the way he used to be able to. But he’d be damned if he didn’t try his best. So Max stuffed his emotions as far down as he was able and pulled his hood up over his head. 

As they exited the truck Nikki squeezed Max’s hand for luck while Neil patted his shoulder empathetically. And with the slam of three separate car doors, it was just him and David.

At first, there was only silence, then David patted the passenger seat with his right hand. Max didn’t move for a moment but then angrily huffed when he realized that this was the only way he was going to get out of this car any time soon.

Reluctantly, Max obliged and crawled into the passenger seat. As soon as he was slouched in the seat, Max turned his head to look out the window.

David paused to look at Max before he spoke with pleading expression and then began,

"I'm sorry, Max."

He could see Max stiffen, clearly unprepared for the straightforward apology, and honestly, David hadn't been prepared for it either. 

David heard a faint sniffle before Max turned his head slightly to ask in the smallest voice he'd ever heard from Max,

"Was it me you were arguing about? Did I do something wrong? Am I the reason Gwen is stuck here?"

"_No! _ G-God no, Max." David blurted out desperate to rectify the misunderstanding that had caused so much distress. 

"I swear to you Max you weren't the rea-..." David choked, halting his speech as he remembered the exact conversation. It had technically been about Max, but not in the way he'd been assuming.

It was too late, however, that brief pause had caused Max's face to crumple and the boy burst into tears.

"It was _ me _...I'm the reason you and Gwen are fighting?" 

David unbuckled his seatbelt in the blink of an eye and just as quickly pulled the sobbing boy into his arms.

"_No! _Nononono...shhh...Max, it's okay, bud." David rocked the boy in his arms, desperately attempted to soothe him. "God I'm so bad at this...I keep making you cry."

Max shook his head as he tried to calm himself down. He couldn't bring himself to speak so he adjusted himself to where he could lay his head against David's shoulder.

"Max. The reason Gwen and I were fighting was that she was upset that I was trying to pay her down payment for her new house. I told her that after everything she's given up for me and you that she deserved it. You know how Gwen is, she hates accepting help. You had very little to do with it. I promise."

The car was silent for a moment before an audible "oh…" could be heard.

David chuckled at the response, "So you see, it only had a little bit to do with you which is why I paused. Sorry for the confusion, kiddo."

"Issokay…" Max mumbled, his head turned to where David couldn't see his face.

"No, it's not. Even if it was over something as dumb as it was, we still shouldn't have been fighting at all. I know how much it upsets you. I'm so sorry, Max."

The boy's head tilted to face him as he growled back, "I said _ it's okay _ so stop apologizing for it, dipshit."

David was used to Max's passive-aggressiveness and sometimes normal aggression, but he also knew how to spot the sincerity behind it. Gwen had always been baffled by just how well David could read Max. Most people were.

And maybe that was why fate had chosen David to be Max's dad. 

"...Can we just not go inside? Please? I don't want Nikki or Neil to see me act so depressing." Max said after about ten minutes of silence.

David nodded, "Sure Max it's _almost _your birthday after all. How about some music?"

"Depends...can I choose?" Max smirked.

An audible gulp sounded from David who nodded with anxiety, his mind fearful over what the almost eleven-year-old had in mind.

Max whipped David's phone out of his own pocket.

_ Of course, he has it. _

The boy expertly typed in his passcode before tapping Spotify. There were some audible clicks of the keyboard before the soft music flowed melodically throughout the truck.

_"Did I drive you away?" _

_ "I know what you'll say…" _

"Coldplay, huh?" David grinned. The kid was beginning to pick up some of his taste in music.

_ "You say, oh, sing one we know." _

"Shut up." Max barked without any real bite. The boy settled back into his position with his head snuggled against David's shoulder. It didn't take long before his eyelids began to grow heavy.

_ "But I promise you this…" _

_ "I'll always look out for you." _

_ "That's what I'll do." _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how late this chapter was!!!! In all honesty, I was super burned out due to personal reasons and the worst writer's block EVER! I hope you guys can forgive me for making you wait so long for this chapter. Please bear with me for the next might take a bit (not nearly as long tho) to write. ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 7000 NOTES OMIGOSH. I love you guys and I'll see you next chapter.


	18. Nightmares and Starbucks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a point where I had a clear idea of where this was going. While I still have that idea, many others throughout the months have begun the worm its way into this little work of mine. Throughout the past 9 MONTHS since I began this writing at 3 am on an unusually hot September night, my expectations on the feedback for my work has been surpassed time and time again. WE HAVE ALMOST SURPASSED 10000 NOTES. HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS???!!! While this chapter in my opinion is a complete trainwreck and so is my writing (I have ADHD and my run-on sentences are a crime against humanity), I really hope you like it. I spent many many many (GOD KNOWS HOW MANY) hours working on it. The reason I believe it takes so long for me to write these chapters now is that im so scared of disappointing you guys and I really hope the writing and the storytelling has truly improved. (see how off track this vent has become, im just word vomiting now. Why are you still reading this? Go read the chapter for the love of jeebus) (more word vomit at the end notes) <3

"So...are they just not going to come in or what?"

Gwen sipped at her cappuccino looking at her watch for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes. It had now been almost forty-five minutes since they had entered the Starbucks and David and Max were nowhere in sight.

"Well, the boys are getting cold coffee," Gwen said, standing up from the table and wrapping her coat around her shoulders.

"No kidding," Neil grumbled.

"Lighten up Neil, I'm sure they had a good reason for ditching us." Nikki defended.

"And I'm sure you had a good reason for ditching me at the ice rink. We were supposed to look for Max together." Neil snapped back. 

Nikki flinched and Neil immediately felt terrible for being so harsh. He sighed and rubbed his temples, "Sorry Nik, I'm just worried about Max. I didn't mean to get angry."

Nikki reached out a hand to gently squeeze Neil's shoulder, "Don't sweat it, Neil."

"You two ready to go? Ten bucks says they ditched us." Gwen stated, rolling her eyes.

"I'll bet on those odds," Nikki replied as she fished a crumpled ten-dollar bill from her jacket pocket.

"Me too. If they are still there you owe both of us ten bucks." Neil chirped, holding his own pristine-looking bill. 

Gwen stretched out her hand to the two eleven-year-olds, "Deal".

They both reached to grab her hand and shook it firmly, replying together in total synchrony, "_ Deal _."

Gwen opened the door for the two troublemakers and together they headed out into the snowy night.

As they exited the building, Nikki wasted no time in jumping atop of every parking chock in sight. She leaped surprisingly gracefully across every stopper until she reached their car.

Gwen could see Nikki chuckle mischievously before turning to say,

"Pay up, Gwen. They just fell asleep."

"Dammit," Gwen groaned and fished two tens out of her own pocket and handed them to the smug-looking children.

Nikki smirked as she pocketed her bill before turning back to peer at the two boys curled up and fast asleep in the car 

Max was curled up in David's lap, his head resting on David's chest. Meanwhile, David's head slumped against the window, but his arms were still firmly wrapped around the boy. 

"Oh my God, that's fucking adorable." Gwen cooed, quickly grabbing her phone to take a few pictures.

"I'd hate to wake them, but I'm freezing." Neil chattered as he rubbed his hands together to create friction.

Gwen nodded and walked up to the window of the car. She knocked tentatively against the glass as she tried to rouse David. She watched as he stirred, slowly turning his head to face Gwen. Sleepy aqua eyes met hers and she smiled and waved. 

Then in an instant, those eyes snapped awake and David quickly moved to unlock the door. Neil and Nikki quietly opened the passenger doors and piled in, basking in the comfort of a warm car. Gwen slid into the passenger seat and held out her arms to David.

He looked down at Max for a long moment, almost as if he was trying to capture the memory. Then, wordlessly, he gently handed Max over to Gwen.

She cradled the boy in her arms, gently wiping a stray curl out of his face. Max always looked so much happier when he was asleep. He also appeared much younger or maybe that was due to how small Max was, to begin with.

Gwen watched as David shook off the last bit of sleep before pulling out of the lot and driving them all into the snowy night.

\--------------------------------

  
  


As David gently shut the door to Max's room he heard as Gwen sighed in relief.

"I thought those two would _never _fall asleep, remind me next time to slip some NyQuil into their drinks," Gwen said as she plopped down onto the couch.

David chuckled at the quip before sitting down next to her. 

Gwen fiddled with her thumbs for a moment before speaking, "You are so lucky the two of you fell asleep, honestly it was worth losing twenty bucks to those heathens."

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to doze off like that but I was just so comfortable," David replied, turning to look at Gwen.

Now that the lighting was better and she wasn't pissed at him, the bags under David's eyes were clearly visible. Gwen flinched that she hadn't noticed how exhausted he was earlier.

"Alright Alder, when was the last time you got a full night's sleep?" 

David rolled his eyes, "Hm...how old am I?"

"Twenty-four in April."

"About eighteen years then...huh," He sighed.

"Jesus Christ. Okay, we can talk about _that _later. I'm talking about how much sleep have you had in the past _week, _" Gwen pressed. 

"Uh...I need to go...make sure the stove is off," David paled as he frantically tried to scramble off the couch. 

Before David could even make it two feet away from her Gwen used her legs and swung them into David's knees. As he buckled to the floor Gwen grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back onto the couch.

She crossed her legs atop David's lap, effectively pinning him to the couch. Gwen took a long satisfying sip of her tea before speaking.

"Stove is off, I know because I was the last one to use it. Now talk."

"Fine. I haven't been able to sleep lately…it's just a bit of restlessness, nothing to worry about."

"Lie. Try again," Gwen replied as she could always tell whenever David was lying due to how rarely he ever did lie.

David snapped his head up in surprise that she called his bluff so easily. He smiled and settled back into the couch, "You know me too well, Miss Rivera."

"Don't I know it, now try again."

"Fine," David sighed, "Night terrors."

Gwen sat up abruptly, "Night terrors?"

David nodded, the rose from his cheeks had faded as he recalled the vivid dreams.

"What about...if you don't mind me asking."

He sighed as he gathered his courage before speaking, "Mostly they're about Max. Normal stuff like Max running away or...dying."

"S'not what I'd call _normal _but go on," Gwen added.

"But...more recently...t-they...um..._ you _ have been in them." He stammered.

"Oh...well I'm glad you find me terrifying. It's nice to know I haunt someone's dreams," Gwen joked, unsure how to respond.

It worked. David chuckled, "No not like _ that _...though you are scary sometimes." He said bumping her shoulders with his. 

"Usually these dreams start out fine, _ mundane, _almost…but then...then…you.." His voice broke as he choked on the words.

"Oh, David…" Gwen whispered as she wrapped her arms around his shaking figure and rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pressed," She apologized. 

He shook his head, "No...you needed to know. After all, who else would I tell my problems too?"

"Still...you know I hate it when you get upset." 

He smiled at her before a yawn suddenly overtook him. 

Gwen grabbed a pillow from off the floor and set it atop her lap. She patted the pillow and watched as David raised a brow at her.

"Consider me your dreamcatcher for the night. You need a good night's rest, after all, we have three eleven-year-olds olds to run after tomorrow. I promise I'll chase the bad dreams away," She vowed.

He hesitated for a moment before grabbing a throw blanket that was draped atop the couch, before resting his head on the pillow.

Gwen ran a hand through his hair as he finished settling. David looked up at her and smiled, "Thanks, Gwen."

"Don't thank me until tomorrow, I haven't done anything yet," She said, using a finger to boop his nose.

He chuckled sleepily before shutting his eyes. In a matter of just a few minutes, he was out cold.

Gwen settled back against the couch and used her free hand to reach for the remote. She made sure to put the volume on low before flipping to her latest trashy show.

She had never felt more at peace.

\---------------------------

_ "Gwen? Gwen...where are you?" _

_ The house was dark. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten here or when he'd awoken. _

_ All he knew was that Gwen was no longer guarding his dreams. _

_ The living room was cold and empty. He shivered as he moved to the kitchen and flipped the light switch. _

_ Nothing. _

_ "Is the power out?" He asked aloud. He received no response. _

_ Max. Max doesn't like the dark. _

_ He moved from the kitchen and raced to Max's door. _

_ "Dad?" _

_ David whipped around to find Max, who was suddenly behind him. _

_ "Hey bud, I'm here. Where's Gwen? Have you seen her," He said as he kneeled by the boy. _

_ David noticed that Max's eyes weren't the normal bright green they usually were. Instead, they were dull and dark. Empty. _

_ Max recoiled from his touch, staggering back a few feet before he gasped, "How could you? You were supposed to protect me, Dad. You were supposed to protect _ ** _her_ ** _ ." _

_ David shook his head frantically as he tried to desperately reached for the boy. Max glared angrily at him before backing away into the darkness. _

_ "Max?! Max!" David stumbled into the darkness as he tried to find his kid. _

_ Suddenly, he was in a long empty hall. Nothing was familiar anymore and David was scared. _

_ Suddenly there was a familiar scream as a woman cried out in pain. _

_ Gwen. _

_ "Gwen!!" _

_ "David! David help!" _

_ David stumbled his way down the dark hall, feeling like he was getting nowhere closer to the origin of the voice. _

_ Suddenly he tripped and fell hard against the concrete floor. His hand landed in something warm and wet. _

_ He heard a faint moan nearby and began crawling toward the figure in the dark. _

_ "Gwen…" _

_ Suddenly there was a faint light and there was Gwen. She sprawled on the floor and there was blood. So much blood. _

_ "No. Nononono... Gwen!" _

_ He quickly pulled her into his lap and pressed hands atop the gaping hole in her abdomen. _

_ "Gwen. Gwen please, come on Gwen. Please don't do this to me. Please don't leave me. Gwen, please." _

_ She was cold. He moved to cradle her head in his hands. All the life had left her amethyst eyes. She was gone. _

_ "Please...I can't do this without you. I need you, Gwen, please...PLEASE...come back to me…" _

_ "I love you." _

_ "David…?" _

_ A voice echoed throughout the hall, growing louder as it grew closer. _

_ "David!" _

"David! Wake up!" 

Suddenly his eyes snapped open as he jerked awake. A pair of hands steadied him, causing him to whip his head around.

"Hey, it's okay. It was just a dream."

Gwen.

David quickly pulled her into his arms causing her to gasp in surprise. He buried his tear-soaked face into the crook of her neck as he breathed her in.

Gwen quickly wrapped her arms around him, gently soothing him. 

Then he suddenly pulled back to look at her rosy cheeks that suited her caramel complexion. He let his hands rest against each cheek and sighed in pure relief at the light that sparkled her amethyst eyes.

"I'm here. I'm okay. You didn't fail me." Gwen said as she leaned against his hands.

She had finally worn down his resolve. David couldn't wait any longer. If he was too cowardly to tell her how he felt then he'd damn well show her.

And so he kissed her. It wasn't a long kiss but it was filled with passion and relief. He could not risk the possibility of losing her. 

Gwen didn't even have enough time to melt against him before it was over and David pulled away.

His face was burning with embarrassment as he stammered, "I-I’m...sorry."

She shook her head and used her finger to wipe a stray tear on his face, "It's okay."

"I broke the rule, didn't I?"

"Yep."

"Is it okay?"

"Yep."

"Are you okay?"

Gwen turned to face him, "Are you?"

"Not really."

"That's okay. It's okay to not be okay."

David looked at her confused, "You should be mad at me. Why are you not mad at me?"

"You know why," She replied.

He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed, "I don't want a repeat of what happened last time."

"Neither do I. Besides it was bound to happen again," Gwen whispered to him.

"I-I...I just…" David stammered trying to find the right words.

"I know. I do too," She interrupted.

"What do we do about it?" 

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" David asked confused again.

"It's obvious we can't keep our hands to ourselves. We've tried and spectacularly failed. But, you have your hands full with Max. David, he needs to have your full attention. At least until he's settled and happier," Gwen said sadly.

"So what do we do then?"

"Let's just...not put a label on anything and see what happens. It's not like it's a race or anything."

"Right, that's a good plan," David nodded, his cheeks still flushed. He looked somewhat sad.

"Hey," Gwen used her hand to lift David's chin and gently pressed a kiss to his lips.

"No matter what happens, you will always be my best friend, okay?"

"Okay."

Gwen pulled back cheerfully and repositioned the pillow back into her lap. David shook his head and grabbed the pillow putting it in his lap.

"Nope. It's your turn."

Gwen rolled her eyes but relented, she rested her head against the pillow and was quickly fast asleep.

\---------------------------

Max awoke to a quiet house. He looked down from his bed to see his two best friends fast asleep in their sleeping bags. Max pulled out his phone to check the time. It was only seven in the morning, but earlier enough that Karma was almost certainly hungry. 

Thankfully Gwen and David normally took care of Karma during the night. Given that she was bigger now she only needed to be fed every four hours. Max crept from his bed to the cardboard box on his desk.

The top of it had been removed and reinforced to be the perfect kitten incubator. It would do for now until she was big enough to sleep on his bed.

He peered inside the box and smiled at Karma who was curled up fast asleep. Using his pointer finger he gently stroked at her dark fur, he could feel her purr almost immediately at the contact. He scooped her up from her bed and quietly crept from the room into the kitchen to warm up some formula.

The first thing he noticed was all the streamers and balloons that decorated the home and a banner that hung from the cabinets reading, _ Happy Birthday Max! _

Right. He was eleven today.

He moved to the kitchen to grab a premade bottle from the fridge and shoved it into the microwave. Max set Karma onto the counter and mindlessly stroked her fur as he waited for the count down to finish its slow rotation.

A rustle from the living room caught his eye and he peered over the half wall to find David and Gwen curled up together on the couch, fast asleep.

_ Well, it seems they made up rather quickly. _

Max laughed quietly to himself as he grabbed the warmed bottle from the microwave and then picked up Karma in his free hand. He took one final look at the two lovebirds before moving back into his room.

He carefully maneuvered himself around his two sleeping friends and then gently sat onto his bed. He set the bottle on his bedside table and grabbed the pillow from behind him and moved it to sit in his lap. He released Karma from his palm and allowed her to crawl around the soft fabric. 

Max watched her for a moment before noticing a glistening coming from her bad eye.

His eyebrows furrowed in concern and he reached over to grab a tissue from the box that sat on his bedside table. Max folded the soft tissue into fours and ever so gently used it to tap away from the crusty puss gathering around her infected eye.

Once Max was satisfied every speck had been removed from the tiny feline, he tossed the napkin into his trash can. Or at least attempted to since the tissue bounced off the rim before landing on the floor.

_ Lame. _

Karma mewed at him in thanks before she began to toddle around the pillow. She clumsily circled herself a few times before settling down into a ball of dark fur.

Max spent the next half hour watching the tiny kitten’s chest rise up and down in perfect rhythm. It was magic how just watching Karma could create such peace and quiet in his mind, even if it only lasted a little while. He knew, however, that he couldn’t always rely on Karma’s fluffiness to keep his demons at bay. In truth, no matter how calming the tiny kitten was, deep in the crevices of Max’s mind, the trauma of his early life would always be there to haunt him. 

Still, Max now knew that there was hope. Hope that his life would no longer be a constant cycle of abuse and torment. He hoped it never would again. Though there will always be nightmares and moments where the demon strikes, he wasn’t afraid as much anymore. 

Now he had David. 

Now he had a family.

_ What could go wrong? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even I don't know what could go wrong, Max. (or do I?) mehehehehe.
> 
> Back to the word vomit.
> 
> ehhh...i lost my train of thought just like I did writing this chapter. Karma only knows when the next one will be out. In the meantime, I'm going to go celebrate my 19th birthday on the beach. Writing while getting extremely sunburned sounds fun. Later guys.


	19. Deflection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehhhh...im not overly fond of this chapter tbh. Hopefully, however this will be the last semi-filler chapter before we head into finale territory. (Like I said before there will be a part two to this story)

It was around ten o’clock in the morning when everyone in the house was officially awake. As soon as Gwen had rolled off the couch and wiped the drool trickling down her chin as she made her way into the kitchen. She wasted no time in wrapping her lanky arms around Max and spinning him around in a violent and bumpy circle,

"_Happy Birthday you little shit! _ " She exclaimed as she squeezed the dear life out of the boy. Max squirmed and wiggled around in Gwen's death grip before finally getting her to release him. As soon as the boy hit the floor he quickly scrambled a good six feet from her and snapped back, " _ Fucking hell _, I liked it better when you were unconscious with the world's largest loogie dripping down your face."

Gwen scowled at him for a moment before she shrugged and took her seat at the table. Max sat back into his seat and continued to gorge himself on the breakfast buffet that David had made for him.

From underneath the table, Max felt someone bump his leg, he looked up quickly enough to see Gwen wink at him before she returned her attention back on to the giant stack of untouched chocolate chip pancakes.

"Oh! Max, I almost forgot!" David said as he suddenly whipped around from his post in front of the stove, "Rachelle, Emilie, and Oliver--they all want to wish you a Happy Birthday!"

"Oh...um...t-tell them I said thanks--I guess…?" Max ducked his head, hoping to hide his flushed appearance from David's never-faltering attentiveness.

Just as he'd suspected. David immediately picked up on the odd reaction and queried an eyebrow at him. Max merely shrugged and poked his fork deep into the gooey mess of pancakes sitting in front of him.

"It's like they have their own non spoken language already, don't they Nikki?" Neil teased at the odd interactions.

"_Mmhmmph _!" Nikki affirmed, her face stuffed with pancakes. Neil scrunched his nose at the gesture that was purely Nikki.

"At least she kept her mouth closed this time," Max snorted. He looked up from his plate to laugh as Nikki attempted to inhale her plate at superhuman speed. David had to turn off the oven at this point to keep an eye on Nikki. Someone had to make sure she didn't choke.

Max chuckled lightly before turning from the scene to see what Gwen was doing. She had been noticeably quiet ever since she had violently spun the boy and nearly caused him to vomit all over her. He looked down at what was holding her attention so firmly; a large stack of junk mail and bills laid strewn about the table. What caught Max’s eye was one pristine white envelope sitting open on the table. 

Gwen's face was pale and sweaty, she clutched what looked like an invitation or greeting card of some sort in her hands. The card was stark white like the envelope and was bent and crumpled from where Gwen had brutalized it in her death grip.

David now noticed something was amiss and walked over to Gwen's side. Instead of doing the same, Max snatched the open envelope from the table and quickly read the return address.

Gwen quickly snatched it back but it was too late and the damage was done. Max had read the address. His stomach churned nauseously as his breakfast threatened to make a sudden reappearance.

It was his father's address.

"Give me the letter," Max said darkly.

Gwen didn't move. She seemed frozen in place. She knew Max needed to see it but she loathed the idea of giving it to him. 

Impatient and terrified, Max slammed his hands on the counter with so much force the plates rattled violently, "_ Give me the goddamn letter, Gwen!" _

It was David who grabbed the letter from Gwen's trembling fingers and silently handed it to Max.

Max took a moment to smooth out the wrinkles before reading the curtly written words that were undoubtedly his father's flawless script.

** _Happy Birthday, son. See you soon._ **

Max recoiled the letter from his hands as if the words had burned him, which they had. He scrambled from his chair, nearly knocking it over in the process, and bolted for the bathroom.

After violently expelling his breakfast in the toilet, he slammed down the lid and curled himself into the corner

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

The words echoed endlessly throughout Max's brain. His breathing was coming out in uneven and shaky gasps as his chest constricted painfully. 

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

He was clenching his jaw so tight he briefly wondered if he might crack a tooth. Outside the bathroom door, he could hear faint shouting and someone was crying. 

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

** _See you soon._ **

Suddenly there was an arm on his shoulder and before Max could even think, he recoiled away, stumbling back a few feet as he crouched down by the toilet.

"_Sorry! _ Sorry! Bad move! I didn't mean to scare you! It's Neil. I'm right here, Max."

A wave of shame crashed over Max. Neil was his best friend. He knew Neil would never hurt him. What kind of friend is he?

"S-sorry…" Max stammered out quietly.

"Nonono...it was my fault. I shouldn't have startled you. I just came in here to see if you were...well not _okay. _ Obviously you're not _okay_. I don't know many people who'd be _ okay _with what just happened….sorry I'm rambling."

Max chuckled nervously. Somehow Neil always was the perfect person to talk to whenever he was freaking out. Whenever Max freaked out, Neil would panic and try to calm him down while also freaking out. They'd both end up freaking out together until they would call down. 

"Is..uh…Is that...Gwen, I hear...speaking outside?" Max whispered almost inaudibly. Outside the door, someone was shouting in what sounded like rapid Spanish. Max rarely saw Gwen cry. Usually whenever Gwen was upset--once the shock had passed-- she'd skip the crying portion and move straight into anger.

"Yeah, I think she's on the phone with the cops. I've never seen anyone whip out a phone so fast." Neil said while nervously cracking his knuckles.

"What about David?"

Neil scratched the back of his head before stuttering, "I-I think he's on the phone w-with your social worker? I've never seen him so serious before...it's kinda scary…"

Max's head popped up from his arms and asked, "Wait...then who was crying?"

Neil was now looking down at the floor, suddenly calm and collected as if he hadn't been a bundle of anxiety a minute prior. He took a deep breath before answering,

"Nikki."

There was a faint sniffle that caused Max to look closer at Neil. 

There were glistening tears that threatened to fall in Neil's eyes.

_ Why are they crying? Are they worried about...me? _

"Don't." Max snapped as he bolted upward from his position.

He watched cautiously as Neil used his sleeve to wipe his face before asking dumbfounded, "What?"

"_ Don't. _Don't cry for me, dammit."

Neil's eyes widened, "_ N-no! _Max, I'm not pitying you! I promise! I'm just--"

"_ I know that." _Max said harshly but then said softly, "I know you and Nikki would never pity me. You're also so disgustingly sincere and worried about me."

Max took a deep breath, "So just this _ once, _don't."

"I don't understand, Max. How can we not worry? You are our best friend. What the _ fuck _ do you mean by _ don't worry _?!"

"For months now all everyone has done is worry about me. Everyone thinks I'm a day away from losing my shit. Well, I'm _not! _ Okay? Sure, I'm _upset! _ I mean how could I not be? But I'm not going to fall apart over it. I'm going to walk my ass out there with you and finish my goddamn pancakes. I just... _ can’t _ let him ruin today." Max looked up at Neil and said firmly, "I _ won't _ let him ruin today."

Neil sat shocked for a moment before he wiped away the remaining tears on his face. Together, the boys walked from the bathroom back into the chaotic kitchen.

Nikki sat in her chair still as a statue, which for Nikki was concerning. Max reached out his hand and rested it on Nikki's shoulder. She turned her tear-stained face to look at him. Max took a breath and said firmly, "Don't cry, Nikki. I'm fine, alright? I'm not letting my jackass father ruin today."

Just as Neil had, Nikki seemed equally as confused. And just as Neil had done, she quickly wiped away her own tears and resumed eating her breakfast. 

Outside on the porch, Max could hear Gwen still screaming into her phone. Though she had switched from Spanish to English so that was hopefully a good sign. 

David was in the living room--seated in his armchair-- speaking calmly into the receiver. In his lap sat a notepad that he was scribbling furiously into.

Max inhaled and took a seat at the table. Though his appetite was completely gone, he forced himself to dig into the delicious breakfast that David had cooked specially for _him. _ Max sensed both Nikki and Neil's unease and discomfort but they both stuffed themselves full of chocolate chip pancakes regardless.

After a while, Gwen and David came back into the kitchen. They didn't sit and join the feast like the rest of the kids. They stood together and whispered softly but sternly to once. Max remembered seeing his parents do that occasionally whenever they discussed money. Though as he got older his dad cared less and less about who was listening. By the time Max was eight they only screamed at each other. 

He let them carry on for a few minutes before he got impatient. Max whipped around in his seat so fast it caused the wooden frame to squeak on the tile. Gwen and David immediately looked up from their conversation. 

"Will you two knock it off? I'm right here! I'm not letting my father ruin this birthday too. _ So sit your ass down." _

They looked at each other briefly before nodding and sitting back down at the table. For a few minutes, nobody did anything but eat their pancakes. Max started to worry that there might not be a way to salvage his birthday.

David caught his fearful expression and immediately began talking to Nikki about how the Platypus was faring in the big city. Nikki responded excitedly that the two had been staying with her dad out in the country and that the Platypus loved it. She'd only brought three dead animals into the house last week. A new record.

Slowly as the conversation picked up, Max felt himself relax into his chair.

There was still hope for a good birthday after all.

\---------------------------------------

After the tense breakfast had relaxed and they had all finished the huge birthday breakfast, the party moved into the living room. Gwen had grabbed Max's NES from his bedroom and hooked it up to the main television. 

Twenty minutes passed and now an intense game of Mariokart raged throughout the house. Gwen and Max were neck-in-neck for first place while Neil and Nikki trailed closely behind. David however lagged behind in ninth place. In his defense, however, Karma was nestled in his lap doing her best to grab his attention away from the game.

Max was almost at the finish line when he remembered the last time he was comfortable playing video games on a special day. An icy dagger of fear struck through Max as the memory of opening the front door caused him to freeze up. 

It seemed it didn’t matter if Max refused to let his father ruin his birthday or not, he somehow managed to do it anyway.

Gwen zoomed past him, finishing first place. She pumped her fist into the air triumphantly. Max's blue shy guy sat unmoving just a few inches from the finish line. It didn't take long for Nikki and Neil to come racing past him.

No matter how hard he might have willed it, he was unable to press the accelerate button.

It wasn't until David drew near that Max shook himself out of his head. 

_ He's not here, Max. He is not here. _

_ You're safe. _

Max took a deep breath and crossed the finish line. 

\----------------------------------------

At around six o’clock that evening, the group headed over to one of Max’s favorite restaurants for his birthday dinner. The place was particularly fancy, nor was the food even that good. The only reason Max loved this restaurant was that his mom and he would eat here on special occasions.

Like today.

Max frowned. He wished more than anything that his mother could be here with him. Especially today, of all days. When Max was younger he had loved his birthdays solely because of the time he would get to spend with his mom. After she’d left when Max was eight, birthdays became a nightmare for him. And after his ninth birthday, Max could only pray his father would forget it the next year. Max’s heart ached. He hated being emotional, and thinking about his previous home life made him emotional to the point of falling apart.

Max attempted to slip back on his jaded and disconnected personality but he was beginning to find that the longer he stayed with David the harder it was to pretend. His toxic personality had been his shield from the world. Normally when he would piss people off enough they would leave him the fuck alone. But with David, the mask was slowly beginning to chip away, leaving Max exposed. Soon he would no longer have his shield to get the monsters and nightmares at bay.

But that wasn’t what terrified Max.

What terrified him was there was very little he could do about it.

As the people he’d grown to love sang him, “Happy Birthday” while showering him with love and affection, Max made up his mind.

For the rest of the evening, Max plastered a fake smile on his face and tried to soak up as much joy as he could. He could allow himself one last evening of emotion, but only one. He was a coward and he knew this. Max had spent his whole life being hurt and as much as he knew Gwen and David or Nikki and Neil would never hurt him, he couldn’t take the chance.

No one would ever hurt Max again. 

\------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Max got up later than usual. His watch read eleven-thirty.

He was late for feeding Karma. _ Shit. _

Max made his bed up and then carefully crept over Nikki and Neil’s sleeping forms to Karma’s box. He stood on his tiptoes and peered over the edge only to find that she was not in her bed. Max tried not to panic, David or Gwen had probably come in to feed her. Max opened his bedroom door and headed out into the living room where sure enough, David had Karma purring happily on his chest.

Irritation prickled at Max as he walked over and scooped up Karma into his own arms. He snatched her bottle from David and began feeding her. David looked bewildered and a bit hurt, but he decided not to comment on the harsh reaction. Gwen, however, did not.

“_ Max! _ What the fuck was that about? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?”

Max turned around and glared fiercely at her, “Shut the fuck up, she’s my cat. I’m the one who's supposed to feed her. Not you. Not David. _ Me. _”

“Well_ sorry_, excuse us for trying to let you sleep in,” Gwen hissed back. “ _ Anyway, _ I hope you enjoyed your party last night along with all your presents.”

Max had loved his party and every single one of his gifts, but he let his anger answer for him, “Whatever, it was fine.”

Now David sat up and looked at him, “Max? Are you okay buddy?”

Max turned and growled, “I’m fine. Just fuck off will you?” With a dramatic huff, he stood up from the couch and stomped back into his room.

The door slammed, leaving two very dumbfounded adults in its wake. Gwen and David looked at each other confused before voicing in synchrony,

“What was _ that _about?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Development? never heard of it.
> 
> max why you gotta be so mean>.<
> 
> Happy July 4th to my American lovelies! And a late (Happy?) Canada Day to any Canadian readers!


	20. Homemade Macaroni is the Best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THis was a difficult chapter to write for a LOT of reasons that I'm too burned out to talk about. ANYWAY please enjoy while I go play BOTW for the eighth time. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all the support you've given me. I know it takes me a while to get these chapters out but IM GOING TO FINISH THIS SERIES (and most likely give it a sequel)
> 
> Now please enjoy<3

David was beginning to panic. Sure, he’s dealt with a moody and angry Max before. _ Heck, he'd done it for three months_. But David had been hoping that they’d gotten past that. It had been three weeks since Max’s birthday and he was just as hostile and cold as the day he’d met him.

His walls were back up in full force and David had no idea why.

The first time David tried to talk to Max ended in disaster,

"Hey, Max? Listen I know you're busy but I wanted to talk to you about your...sudden attitude change."

Max's head whipped around so quickly David had been worried that the boy had gotten whiplash. David didn't believe he'd ever forgotten the look of pure hatred that burned in Max's eyes. It was almost enough to wrack his body with grief. David however held back his own emotions. 

"**Get the fuck out of my room.** I don't want to talk about it, so just leave."

When David didn't automatically turn to exit, Max got even angrier. He shot up from the bed and began harshly shoving David out the door.

David let him slam the door in his face. For a long moment, he stood there staring at the rusted copper door handle, until he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

David turned to see Gwen with her arms outstretched. That was the first night that David had cried himself to sleep in many months.

The second time David tried to talk to Max was the day before Gwen moved into her new apartment.

The three had woken up early that morning to start cleaning up the apartment before the furniture arrived the next day. Devin had left late the night before and had dropped by to give Gwen the keys.

Max had been quiet most of the day, save for a few witty comments and harsh deflections at the attempts Gwen made at small talk.

Gwen and David had been moving back between different rooms, scrubbing every surface possible in the house to near perfection. David was in the small living room when a loud clatter startled him from his cleaning frenzy.

_ "Max?" _David called out, his voice rising a lilt. From the bathroom, he could hear mumbled cursing and the sound of metal hitting tile.

"Kiddo, let me in," David asked as he jiggled the locked door.

"Fuck off, the shower curtain fell. I can fix it myself. I don't need your goddamn help." Max's voice snapped back.

David frowned and was about to knock again when he felt an armrest on his shoulder. He turned to see Gwen holding a penny between her fingers. She reached down to the handle and effortlessly unlocked the door.

Gwen stomped in and growled at the boy,

"Get the fuck out of the tub and get your ass in the kitchen. _ We need to talk. _"

Max paled slightly before an equally terrifying scowl emerged on his features. The boy made a point of throwing the shower curtain on the floor. David winced as it loudly hit the tile with a loud _thud_. Max then shoved past the two and stomped his way into the kitchen. Gwen followed and David could only listen as the two had the loudest screaming match they'd ever have.

Normally during these types of arguments, David would supervise them to make sure neither of them went too far. (However, he knew Gwen would never harm Max physically or emotionally). But for once, he was afraid if he went in, it would only make things worse. 

In the end, even Gwen was unable to get Max to talk to her. Though David had to admit that her methods were a bit... ear-piercing.

The next day came with little improvement. It seemed Max was now refusing to even speak with them. 

The three worked together in awkward silence to move in the sparse amount of furniture Gwen had brought over from her old apartment in New York into her new home. It was early evening by the time they finished.

Covered in sweat and grime from the day's tasks, Max and Gwen collapsed on the couch in exhaustion. David also took a few minutes to relax before he moved to Gwen's tiny kitchen to begin cooking dinner. 

David had already brought over the ingredients from his own home to make his mother's recipe for Macaroni and cheese. Not the cheap store-bought the kind that tasted like melted plastic, but real authentic Macaroni and cheese.

All that was required was butter, cheese, and pasta. David grabbed a beat-up looking pot from one of the cabinets and filled it up with water before setting it on the stovetop to boil.

While he waited he looked into the living area to see both Max and Gwen fast asleep on the couch.

Gwen was strewn longways on the couch with Max curled into her side. He must have rolled over in his sleep because there was no possible way he would do that while conscious.

Especially with how things were now. David felt a pang of sadness in his chest but tried not to let it interfere with dinner. As he stirred the tender noodles in the pot he could feel the pressure in his chest building. Usually, that meant that he was moments away from bursting into tears. 

No, not this time. David swallowed his sorrow down and continued slicing giant hunks of butter and cheese into the dish. The smell of a freshly cooked dinner must have awoken Gwen because David nearly jumped out of his skin when she slumped against his back and wrapped her arms around his midsection.

Gwen moved her head to rest against David's shoulder and giggled, "Whoops, my bad."

She then proceeded to poke a finger into his side and David felt his ears burning. The two had been a lot more touchy ever since that night in the living room. They weren't quite sure what to make of the new development in their relationship. _ Heck. _ David hadn't even asked her out on a proper date yet.

That would have to come later given all the problems they were currently having with Max. There just wasn't any time to focus on their own feelings. Still, even though the two were not "technically" dating, they sought comfort from one another. 

Now more than ever. 

However, besides cuddling and the occasional cheek kiss they hadn't really done anything further. And honestly, it suited them both just fine. It hadn't really shocked Gwen when David told her that besides Bonquisha along with a few guys and girls from high school and college, he had very little experience with relationships. 

What had surprised David was that Gwen was the same way. The fact that only a handful of guys had ever dated Gwen left David both shocked and confused.

"_What kind of idiot are you if you can't see how beautiful and wonderful she is?" _ David had thought to himself.

"David? You're burning the Macaroni…" Gwen mumbled into his ear, effectively jolting him out of his thoughts.

"Crap." David panicked as he turned off the stove and lifted the pot. He set it on the counter to let it cool then turned around to face Gwen.

She looked exhausted as she swayed from side to side in a zombie-like manner. David sighed fondly and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Gwen buried her face into his neck and hummed appreciatively. 

"So are you going to be able to stay awake for dinner or should I just put it into the fridge and take Max home?" He said after a long moment.

Gwen snored lightly in response and David chuckled. He leaned down to wrap an arm behind Gwen's knees before swooping her up into his arms. She stirred slightly only to peck him lightly cheek before letting sleep overtake her once again. He carefully maneuvered around the empty boxes that cluttered up space and made his way into Gwen's bedroom.

The room was a mixture between an office and a bedroom with a huge glass window that looked out into a small creek in the backyard. David sat Gwen down onto her bed, pulled the covers up, and leaned down to gently kiss her forehead. 

An arm shot out and grabbed David by his collar. He yelped in surprise as Gwen pulled him down for a long and sweet kiss that left David breathless and stupidly happy.

"Goodnight, David," Gwen whispered in the dark.

David pulled the curtains closed and softly whispered, "Goodnight, Gwen." He gently closed the door and headed back into the living room.

Max was curled up into a fetal position on the couch, still, fast asleep. David smiled and walked into the kitchen. He scooped the Macaroni into two plastic Tupperware before storing one into the fridge. David held the other underneath his arm and crept back into the living area.

David moved quietly as he gently scooped the sleeping boy into his arms. He shifted Max into one arm and opened the front door. David then quickly moved to get back to his own house. The faster he moved the less likely it was that Max would wake up from the sudden shift in temperature. As soon as he made it to the front door, David shoved his hand in his pocket and frantically dug around for his keys. 

Stirring gently from his arms, Max’s small frame shivered in the cold. David gulped, nearly cutting himself on his keys as he tightly clamped his hand around the jagged edges. He ripped the keys from his pocket and violently shoved the key inside the lock and pushed the front door open. 

It was too late and David heard a small voice growl in his ear.

“The **_fuck_** are you doing?” 

David groaned internally before turning to the boy scowling in his arms, “You fell asleep at Gwen’s. I didn’t want to wake you so I just carried you home.”

Max squirmed out of his grasp and landed on his feet. He turned around to snarl at David, “Next time fucking wake me.”

“_Max.” _

\--------------------------------------------

The boy tensed at the serious tone of his voice but kept his eyes glued to the floor. 

Now he’d done it. He’d cracked him. He’d finally pushed David to his breaking point. Now he’d be sent away for sure. Max had always known deep down that David could only put up with his shit for so long. Max braced himself for yelling. For screaming. For unbridled rage. For---

_ Sniff. _

What?

Max looked up.

David’s face was gleaming with tears and he looked like he was in physical pain. Max’s heart clenched painfully as an icy grip of guilt held him firm in his place. Now he’d done it. David choked back a gut-wrenching sob and sank to his knees.

Max had to bite back the instinct to rush towards David. To apologize profusely. To beg for forgiveness. The instinct to give him a hug. The instinct he’d fought so hard to suppress.

Max felt the skin of his lip break and warm blood trickled into his mouth. He swallowed back the copper taste and held fast in his spot.

“_Please _.”

Max bit down harder.

“_Please, _Max. Tell me what I am doing wrong. Why are you so angry with me?” David sobbed as he bent in on himself and buried his face in his hands.

"I-Its not...I-I'm...just…" Max stammered hard on his words, unsure of how to put into words what he was trying to say. He wasn't even sure what he was _going _to say. His thoughts were so scattered and confusing that eventually frustration won out and he spat, 

"Just **go**! Go find a normal kid that won't fucking disappoint you and **leave me alone.**"

_ What is wrong with me? _

Max spun on his heel and raced into his own bedroom, slamming the door loudly. He could hear Karma meowl, irritated that she had been awoken from her nap. 

Max couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything. He couldn't hear David sobbing outside his door. All he could hear was his own self-loathing.

Max pulled his comforter from the sheets and dove underneath the bed. He wrapped himself tightly as he tried desperately to calm himself.

_ How many times am I going to fuck myself over? _

_ How many more till David decides enough is enough? _

_ I already drove Gwen away, after all. _

It seemed that trying to push himself away from the one person that truly cared about Max had backfired.

_ Go figure. _

Max couldn't explain his actions. He honestly couldn't fathom why he thought it was a good idea in the first place.

He couldn't go back now.

David hated him. He was sure of it.

Max had told him to get rid of him. That he didn't love him. He basically had told him that he hated him to his face.

Max banged his fist against his head repeatedly as if to punish himself for his own stupidity.

Even if David allowed him to stay, it would never be the same. Max had destroyed any possibility of it.

_ What do I do now? _

A lump welled in Max's throat. He didn't fight it. He couldn't hear David anymore. He must of gone to bed.

Max choked back a sob.

Grief came in wave after wave. Each one sending Max sprawling. He needed something to ground him. He needed David. He needed his Dad.

_ You've lost the right to call him that. _

_ You never had it to begin with. _

_ You've lost the right to even live here. _

He thought about hopping out the window and darting over to Gwen's. He quickly scratched that. Gwen would be just as pissed.

_ I have no one. _

_ I'm alone again. _

** _Meow._ **

Max poked his head out from the blankets to see what had interrupted his melancholy. He saw a one-eyed cat stare back. While she had not lost her right eye it had welted shut due to inflammation. Karma had one more round of antibiotics before her next trip to the vet. Anyway, the kitten was nuzzling the blanket and trying her best to burrow herself in with Max.

She was around three weeks old now, though Max had no idea how she had manage to hop out of her bed. Max opened a tiny hole in the covers for Karma to crawl in. She kneaded the blankets for a moment the settled just below Max's chin.

_ Warm. _

_ So warm. _

Max gently scratched the sweet spot behind her ear and listened intently to the sound of her tiny purr.

_ At least I have you, Karma. _

That thought stayed with him until the boy drifted off.

\-----------------------

_ Today is Max's first day back to school. _

David hummed as cheerfully as he could as he packed a perfectly wrapped ham and cheese sandwich into a plain blue lunchbox. Along with the sandwich were Max's thermos and a bag of sliced apple. David zipped up the sides and set the lunchbox on top of the kitchen table. He then went to grab a knife to cut up the grilled cheese sandwich he’d made for Max’s breakfast

It had been a solemn few weeks. While Max no longer had angry outbursts and was a lot better behaved. David hadn't seen the boy smile in almost two weeks. No amount of playful banter with Gwen or invitations to play games could crack a smile. Not even Karma was able to coax a smile from Max. But what hurt David the most, was how helpless he felt about the whole situation.

It seemed that every time that Max seemed to be on the road to recovery, something would happen that sent the boy spiraling back into his despair. It’s hard to be frustrated at someone when you know that it’s not their fault. A sharp pain suddenly shot through David’s hand. He yelped and then looked down to find that he’d grabbed the wrong side of the knife. He quickly dropped the bloodied knife into the sink and grabbed some paper towels from the counter.

As he was frantically shoving paper towels onto the wound, Max’s door opened. A mass of dark curls poked his head out the door to see what that loud noise had been. Two green eyes landed on David’s injured hand. Max looked at David for a long moment before rolling his eyes and slamming the door shut once more. 

_ Okay, ouch. _

That gesture hurt more than cutting his hand open.

David turned back to the paper towels and proceeded to make a crappy wrap for his hand. He didn’t have time to be injured anyway. He was about to grab another knife to cut up the sandwich when Max’s door swung open again.

David turned to see Max, who was dressed in a long-sleeved Star Wars t-shirt and jeans, holding a wad of bandages and some rubbing alcohol. David softly gasped in surprise.

_ Wait. Why was he keeping that in his room? _

Max set the supplies down on the table then moved past him to grab his breakfast. The boy grabbed a knife from the drawer and cut his own sandwich before sitting back down at the table. He took a big bite from the grilled cheese and looked back at him impatiently.

It took David a moment to realize that Max wanted him to sit down. Clutching his injured hand, David stumbled nervously into a chair. Max slid his plate to the side and grabbed a handful of unbloodied paper towels. He picked up the rubbing alcohol and drenched one of the napkins. He hesitated briefly, a look of worry flashed in his eyes, before shaking his head and grabbing David’s hand.

David sat there dumbfounded and confused as Max worked to clean and bandage his hand. It wasn’t that David didn’t know how to properly bandage something himself, though Gwen was better at it than he was, it was the fact that Max briefly emerged from his shell to do it. That was the reason that David didn’t stop him, in fact, he didn’t move at all. He was too scared to move as if one flinch would send the boy fleeing back into his room.

Max had just finished wrapping his hand, a bit too tightly but good none the less, when the sound of bus brakes squealing against the ice broke them both out of their trance. Max shot up from the table and shoved the grilled cheese sandwich into his mouth. He scrambled to grab his lunchbox and shoes while David ran to the closet to fish out Max’s coat and hat. He was surprised once again when Max let him put the onto him. 

The boy turned to head out the door but hesitated. He looked back at David with an emotion David wasn’t able to place. Max shook his head as if dismissing himself before heading out in the snow to catch the bus.

As the door slammed shut and David was once more alone in the small house, a hopeful thought bounced around in his mind.

_ This is progress. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the endgame now.
> 
> also david is as bisexual as I am. which is very bisexual.


	21. I Can't Drown My Demons, They Know How to Swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got a sudden spur of pure motivation and wrote all of this in 7 hours. No breaks and no sleep. 
> 
> So I hope you guys enjoy this super early chapter and in the meantime, I'm going to go pass out.
> 
> Enjoy<3

  
  


_ Why the fuck did I do that? _

Max thought angrily to himself as he ran toward the bus. He nearly slipped on the ice but was able to grab the door at the last second. He fumbled for a minute before climbing on.

The bus was only half full of children bundled up just like he was. As he nervously pushed past tired kids and sleeping kids, he spotted an empty seat towards the back.

He sat down near the window and placed his backpack next to him. Max retrieved his earbuds from his bag and was about to put them in when he felt someone poke him from behind.

He turned around to face a pale boy with red hair and kind blue eyes. The boy was stocky but not overweight. He had a smile that matched his eyes and showed off his dimples. He gave Max a wobbly grin and greeted him.

"Are you new? I haven't seen you before. My name is Andrew. What's yours?"

_ Ah. A chatterbox.  _

Max gulped nervously, he wasn't the best at making friends but he wanted to at least try.

"Y-yeah I'm new. I'm Max."

"Is it okay if I sit next to you, Max?" He gestured to the sleeping boy next to him.

"Daniel kicks in his sleep."

Max nodded meekly and moved his backpack to sit in front of his feet.

Andrew scooted into the seat next to him and the two began chatting away about nothing. That was until Andrew asked about where he was from.

Max felt a cold chill up his spine.

"I-I um... I'm from New York. Manhattan."

"Dude! That's so cool! I've always wanted to go to NYC. I used to live in South Carolina until my family moved here. Why'd you move up here exactly?"

Max gulped unsure if he should lie or not. In the end, he just decided a simplified truth was better.

"I uh...came up here to live with my Dad."

"Family issues huh? I get that. My parents got divorced a few years ago but I still get to see my mom every week. She got remarried and moved here to be closer to my sister and me."

Max smiled weakly and replied, "Yeah family issues...something like that."

"Do you still get to see your mom?"

Max was uncomfortable but he liked Andrew so he didn't want to ruin a potential friendship. Talking about his mom had always been... difficult.

"No um...she uh...died a few years back."

Andrew's face softened and he apologized for being too personal, but that didn't stop him from asking about the error in his previous statements.

"Who were you living with, in New York?"

Max took a deep breath and calmly said, "I don't really want to talk about it if that's okay."

Andrew's face seemed confused for a moment before the pieces clicked.

"Oh okay, I won't bring it up again." They sat in silence for a moment before Andrew's face brighten and he said,

"Wanna see my Nintendo Switch? I've got Animal Crossing, MarioKart, and Smash Bros with me. We can take turns or play together if you want."

Max smiled, "Yeah, sounds fun."

The two boys spent the rest of the ride taking turns fishing for the Coelacanth that had been alluding Andrew for days in Animal Crossing. When the two got bored of that they switched to MarioKart.

They were just about to finish their third race when they arrived at the Middle School.

"Hey, I forgot to ask. What grade are you in?"

"Oh, I'm in sixth grade. What about you?"

Andrew beamed, "Sixth grade as well, maybe we will have some classes together."

"I hope so, I don't really know anyone."

Andrew nodded and said, "Well I hope I see you later. It was nice to meet you!"

"You too, see ya later."

The two boys parted ways and as soon as he was off the bus, Max fished out his crumpled up slip. Apparently he had to go to the front office to get his schedule before heading to his first class.

The cold Maine morning had chilled Max to the bone, so as soon as he entered the heated building he sighed in relief. Relishing the feeling of warm air brushing against his face he walked into the front office.

The lady sitting at the front desk was plump and had a shrewd expression. Clearly she hadn't had her morning cup of coffee and was ready to snap at anyone who dared talk to her. Her beady eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of a scrawny boy with a mass of curls.

"Yes? What is it?" She said harshly, causing Max to flinch.

Max walked up to the desk and held out his slip which she quickly snatched from his hand.

"My name is Max...Alder. Today's my first day."

He didn't know why he had decided to use David's last name instead of his biological one, but hearing his name next to his foster father's just felt right. Though he knew deep down that he didn't deserve the right to use it.

She huffed at the paper and turned to the ancient monitor sitting on the desk. Loud typing filled the room and she narrowed her eyes at the boy.

"There's no Max Alder in my list, however, there  _ is  _ a Maxwell Thakur. Is that you?"

Max nodded and affirmed, "Yeah, that's me."

"Use your actual name next time. I don't get paid enough to play your little games."

She turned to her drawer and fished out a schedule.

"Here. Before you go to class you need to go to the guidance counselor. Her name is Ms. Lozano. Head to the library and go through the double doors. It's the last door on the right. Now shoo, I have work to do."

Max took the schedule from the horrid woman and mumbled thanks before leaving the office.

_ Why do I need to see the counselor? I haven't even done anything wrong yet. _

Shrugging at the thought Max turned right and head into the massive school library, filled to the brim with books that he had no desire to read.

He just wasn't a reader. When he was younger he tried to get into reading in order to escape his own reality however he just never had the patience for it.

The young librarian waved at him from the desk and Max smiled meekly before heading through the double doors.

There were two empty chairs that sat outside the office. Max knocked on the counselor's door and took a seat in one of them.

He sat there for a few minutes before the door opened and a young Hispanic woman with wild curls and a sweet smile greeted him.

"Hello, Maxwell. My name is Ms. Lozano, I'm the counselor here at Birchwood Middle. It's so nice to meet you."

Max stood up and quickly shook her hand before entering the office. It was a pretty office with bean bag chairs and dim lighting. Comforting and calming. Ms. Lozano took her seat in the light grey bean bag while Max took the green one.

She grabbed a folder with Max's name scrawled on it and asked,

"So Maxwell, are you nervous?"

Max nodded and then said, "Yeah a bit. Also, my name is Max."

"Okay, Max. You foster dad thought it would be a good idea for you to visit me once or twice a week during lunch. Don't worry we can eat in here."

_ Son of a bitch. I forgot. _

He had forgotten about his punishment for sneaking out. The day he had found Karma and brought her home.

"Language, Max."

_ Oops, I said that out loud. _

"Sorry."

"What did you forget about?"

Max shrugged, "I snuck out the house a few weeks ago and this is David's revenge I guess."

Ms. Lozano tapped her pen thoughtfully on the folder. She took a moment to phrase her next question.

"Do you sneak out a lot, Max?"

"No, I don't. Not after seeing what it did to David. I'd rather not talk about it."

"I find that talking about things usually helps. However, I won't pressure you. Let's move on."

She flipped through a couple of pages before making a few notes,

"So in your last school, you weren't exactly an active participant. You were constantly absent or late. You failed to do most of your homework and showed blatant disrespect to most of your teachers, save for one Ms. Angiola, your science teacher. Correct?"

Max nodded.

"I want you to know that given what was going on at home we won't hold any of this against you. What happened was not your fault and it would be unfair of us to penalize you for it. However, now that you are living with Mr. Alder we expect a bit of improvement. Wouldn't you agree?."

"Yeah."

Max was looked down at his feet, his nervousness made his stomach churn and he was beginning to feel a bit nauseous.

"Good. Then that about sums up what I wanted to talk about. Your first session with me will begin next Monday and Wednesday. I look forward to talking with you more."

Max got up from the chair and reached for his backpack. He let Ms. Lozano walk him to the door but before he left she whispered to him,

"Remember Max, I'm always here if you ever need to talk about something."

Max ducked his head low and left for his first class of the day.

\----------------------------------------------------

The weeks trudged by and Max did relatively well with school. After about two weeks of hanging out with Andrew on the bus, Max and he exchanged numbers and he was officially added to the group chat with Nikki and Neil.

The three hit it off well and it wasn’t long until they were acting as if they had all known another for years. 

Things with David remained the same. Max tried to be nice but the guilt that built up in his gut every time he looked at him sent him running back into his room. Gwen started her new job as a clerk at a local bookshop, a job that she gushed wildly about at the dinner table.

Overall things were somewhat back to normal and getting better, save for Karma.

The medicine hadn’t been working and her eye kept getting increasingly more infected. Finally, David took Max and Karma to the veterinarian and received the news that the eye would have to be removed. But that wasn’t all, a cataract had begun forming on Karma’s left eye. This meant that soon Karma would be practically blind.

“How is she supposed to move around if she can’t see?” Max asked as they were driving to get Karma’s surgery. He ran his fingers through her dark fur and was somewhat calmed by the sound of her purr.

“She’ll eventually learn the layout of the house and where everything is. She’ll be okay, we'll help her however we can. Other than her eyes she's a healthy and happy kitten who will grow up big and strong. I promise.”

The surgery went well. Though Karma had to wear a cone while the wound healed, which was something Gwen found extremely funny. Max had to agree, it was pretty funny watching Karma run around with a giant cone on her head. She didn’t skip a beat, almost unaware of her disability. Max took great pride in her determination to be an ordinary cat.

Things seemed to be looking up.

Max had forgotten about the note.

He’d forgotten about his father's warning.

** _Mistake._ **

\----------------------------------------------------

"Max? Did you finish your homework?" David called as he flipped the omelet he was making Max for breakfast.

"Huh? Oh yeah...that. I'm uh...gonna finish it on the bus. Andrew said he could help me with it."

David turned to look at Max's door and called back,

"You do know that the point of homework is to do it yourself."

"Eh. Never stopped me. I always did it before the teacher collected it." Gwen mumbled as she sipped at her mug.

"Were you not scared she was going to see?" David asked, slightly annoyed that she was missing the point.

Gwen stared blankly at him before sipping her coffee and saying, "Who knows? My life at his age was like drinking orange juice and then brushing your teeth. At ten years old I wasn't scared of jackshit."

"Not helping."

Gwen shrugged and finished up her breakfast. She grabbed her purse and quickly pecked David on the cheek.

"I'm heading to work. I'll see you two later."

"Have a good day, Gwen!"

She blew him a kiss before she headed out into the cold. 

David plated Max's omelet and set it on the table for him. He suddenly felt something pointy nudge at his ankle. He looked down to see Karma bumping him with her cone.

"Max, have you fed Karma yet?"

"Jesus Christ, David. Of course, I did. I'm not an idiot. She just wants attention."

_ That’s it. _ David’s temper snapped.

" _ Max. _ Come here." David demanded. He'd had enough of this flippant behavior.

Max stomped through the door, dressed in one of his new sweatshirts and a pair of jeans.

"Yeah, what? The bus will be here in a few minutes."

David saw Max flinch a bit when he saw the harsh gaze he was giving the boy. The boy nervously fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt but continued to glare at him.

"I've had it with your bad attitude. You are constantly disrespecting me and I'm sick of it. You can forget the sleepover with Andrew this weekend."

Max's expression twisted with rage. 

"You can't fucking do that! We've had this planned for over a week! We were going to have a skype call with Neil and Nikki and play video games!"

David shrugged nonchalantly, "You'll just have to schedule it for when you're not grounded. Until you fix your attitude and tell me what's wrong,  _ no one _ is coming over."

Max slammed his hands on the table, which caused Karma to dash back into Max's room. Max's breakfast clattered on the table and threatened to fall on the floor.

"This is  _ bullshit! _ You can't punish me for being myself! You're such a jackass."

David set his hands on his hips in an attempt to look as authoritative as possible.

"This is not you. You didn't start acting like this until after your birthday. I don't know what exactly happened but if you would just  _ tell me  _ then I know we could talk it out."

  
  


"I don't have to tell you shit." In the distance, the bus brakes squealed signaling it was time for Max to go. He grabbed his backpack and lunchbox and just as he was about to leave he screamed,

"You're the fucking worst."

_ Slam. _

\----------------------------------------------------

“So he really won’t change his mind?” Andrew asked glumly.

Max shook his head and plopped his face into his hands, “No I don’t think so. I was really shitty when I left, he’ll be mad at me for a while. God, I’m so fucking stupid.”

Andrew squeezed his shoulder in a comforting gesture, “Don’t worry about it, dude. We have all the time in the world to have a sleepover. We’ll just schedule it for another time.”

“I just wish I hadn’t said such awful things to him before I left. I feel really bad about it.”

“Everyone says things they regret when they get mad. It’s pretty normal. I’m sure that your dad just needs time to cool down.”

“Yeah, probably.”

The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Andrew suddenly shot up, nearly knocking Max into the window. 

“Crap, I have office duty today. Man, I really don’t want to spend three hours with Mrs. Grizz. She’s the worst.”

“What’s office duty?”

Andrew reached into his backpack and pulled out the admission form his parents had made him sign weeks earlier.

“So you know how the front office is super understaffed?”

“Yeah, I’ve only ever seen Mrs. Grizz and some other lady in there.”

“Child labor, my friend. What I do is basically child labor. Mrs. Grizz makes me sort through all her mail and has me organize everything. It sucks.”

“Yeesh, sorry I asked.”

The bus squealed loudly as it pulled up in front of the school. As all the children filed out of the bus, Andrew swung an arm around Max’s neck and said cheerfully.

“See ya in Math, Max.”

_ Shit. I forgot to do my homework. _

_ Oh well. _

“Yeah man, see ya later.”

\---------------------------------------------

Max’s eyelids drooped heavily as the teacher droned on and on about some stupid war in the late 1770s that he could care less about.

“Maxwell? Are you still with us?” The teacher snapped jolting the boy from his daydreams.

“Unfortunately,” Max quipped without thinking. He really needed to watch his mouth. It got him into trouble far too often.

“Well, if you’re paying attention so diligently then tell me. Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?”

_ Shit.  _

He was just about to admit defeat when the teacher’s phone rang. He huffed, annoyed that he’d lost the chance to put a student in their place. The teacher’s eyes never left Max as he talked to the person on the other end.

The teacher set the phone down and said, “Well Maxwell, it seems you’ve lucked out. Your dad is here to pick you up. Grab your things. I expect you to know the answer tomorrow.

_ Great. David must seriously be trying to make a point. I wonder how much trouble I'm in now. _

Max slung his backpack around his shoulder and trudged out the classroom. As he grew closer to the front office he caught himself wishing there were windows to see who was inside.

At least he would be able to read David’s anger on his face before he got there.

Max grabbed the handle of the door and pushed it open. He was looking down at his feet when he asked, “Whatever did I do to have you grace me with your presence before school is out David? I thought your motto was ‘Education comes first’.

He looked up to glare at David.

His blood ran cold.

“Hello son, I thought I told you this morning about your doctor's appointment? Silly boy.”

It wasn’t David. 

It was his father.

“Hey, Max! Looks like you don’t have to worry about that Math homework after all! Lucky.” Andrew chirped from behind the front desk.

_ Office duty. Andrew has office duty. He’s in danger. I’m in danger. _

_ David can’t protect me this time. _

Max stood frozen, he couldn’t move or make any noise. He just stood there as Andrew made his way over to his father.

Andrew reached out a hand and Max’s father shook it firmly, “I’m Andrew. I’m Max’s friend. I was supposed to stay over at your house this weekend, but...uh you know. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, sir.

“It’s nice to meet you too, young man. How refreshing it is to see that my boy is making so many  _ friends. _

Max’s father draped an arm around him and whispered coldly in his ear,

“ ** _Act natural or I will shoot him and everyone in this room.”_ **

That got Max’s blood pumping again and Max sputtered out, “Y-yep so many. Though Andrew has d-definitely been my favorite so far.”

Andrew gave Max a weird look, “You okay, Max? You look pale.”

“Fine! I-I’m fine! I’m just nervous a-about going to the doctors. I uh...hate needles.”

“Don’t worry, Max. They don’t hurt too badly. I’m sure you will do great! I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? You can tell me all about it.” Andrew patted Max on the shoulder before hopping back behind the front desk.

“S-See you later.”

“Come on, son. We don’t want to be late.”

Max’s father grabbed his arm a bit too harshly and practically dragged a shell-shocked Max out of the school.

The second they were down the front steps the grip on his arm tightened and Max yelped.

**“Shut up or I’ll beat you bloody you little shit.”**

Now that Andrew was gone, fear flooded Max but it didn’t stop him from screaming and kicking as he was dragged and thrown into an unmarked van.

“SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!”

A hand slapped Max’s across the face so hard that he saw stars. But Max didn’t stop screaming. Not until a sharp pain pierced at his neck and the world slowly slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry not sorry


	22. May The Odds be Ever in Your Favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning in advance for Chapter 22.
> 
> SERIOUSLY ITS GOING TO BE VERY DARK. I MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE THE WARNINGS.
> 
> IN CHAPTER 22 THERE WILL BE CHILD ABUSE.
> 
> LIKE REALLY BAD.
> 
> If you are not okay with that THEN DO NOT READ IT.
> 
> (Max I'm so sorry for what I'm about to put you through baby boy.)
> 
> I wish I could censor it out but it just wouldn't feel right. This is going to be really difficult emotionally for me to write. Max's trauma and recovery has always been the main focus of this book so I'm not going to censor anything.
> 
> HOWEVER.
> 
> I will have a warning label of when the abuse starts and stops

“Well these grades are a little better than last time, maybe they aren’t hopeless after all,” David chimed as he slaved away grading his students’ latest test. It was early afternoon and Max’s bus would be there any moment.

As much as David wanted to be mad at Max for being so cold this morning he just couldn’t find it in himself. David had lost his temper, a rare thing, and he felt terrible about it. So he decided that tonight he would sit down with Max and apologize and maybe, just _ maybe _ , things could go back to the way they were.

All he had to do was wait for Max. 

_ I have an even better idea! Max would love it if I waited at the bus stop for him! Then we could really have some one-on-one time. _

David sighed. He doubted it but it was the best idea he had.

He set the tests down on the coffee table and went into the foyer to grab his coat and hat. He was just about to leave when a cone-headed kitten began trying to attack his shoelaces. David chuckled at Karma’s antics and scooped her up into his arms. She mewled and gnawed at his thumb, only calming when David scratched her head with his index finger. 

Once she had been sated David set her down gently onto the floor and walked out the front door. He shivered as the cold Maine air blew against him. Once he had reached the bus stop he played on his phone for a moment before he heard the familiar squeal of the ancient bus driving down the road.

The bus stopped in front of him and the doors opened.

The only person who exited the bus was a short boy with red hair. David blinked, confused, and turned to the bus driver.

“Where’s my kid? His name is Max. Is he still on the bus?”

“Sorry sir, he didn’t get on the bus today.” The driver said before closing the doors and driving off. Fear trickled down David’s spine and he was about to call Gwen when the redheaded boy spoke.

“Who are you?” The boy asked pure confusion was written across his face.

“I’m Max’s foster dad, do you know him?” David replied.

The boy froze and his eyes widened in horror as some realization dawned on him.

“Oh, God.” He whispered to himself. “I t-thought...I thought he...he wasn’t...oh my god.”

Now David was terrified. He pressed a hand against the boy’s shoulder and looked him dead in the eye, “Breathe kiddo, who are you talking about? Where’s Max?”

The boy trembled and tears began to stream down his pale cheeks, “A man, he looked like Max...so I thought.  _ You’re Max’s dad?! _ ”

_ Oh no. NoNoNoNONONO. _

David sunk to his knees, “Y-Yes I’m his dad.” His voice shook but he needed to know, “You need to tell me everything that happened. What’s your name, kid?”

“M-My name is A-Andrew. I-I was supposed to stay at your h-house this weekend.”

“Okay, Andrew.” David choked out weakly, “Tell me what happened.”

“This guy came in and picked up Max early. The lady at the front d-desk said it was fine! But she never even looked at h-his ID! Max was acting f-funny when he saw him, but I-I thought he was just n-nervous about going to the doctor!” Andrew inhaled a shaky breath, “ I-I didn’t think...Oh god, what did I do?”

David pulled the boy in for a hug and said, “It’s not your fault, okay? You couldn’t have  _ possibly  _ known.”

He pulled back but kept his hands on Andrew’s shoulders, “Is your house nearby? I need you to run as fast as you can and go get a parent or someone. I’m going to go call the cops. Can you do that for me, Andrew?”

Andrew nodded and then took off down the road. David bolted into the house and just narrowly avoided tripping over Karma. He fumbled as he grabbed his cellphone and dialed 9-1-1.

_ “Hello this is 9-1-1, what is your emergency?” _ The dispatch said.

“M-My name is David Alder. My s-son has been kidnapped.”

_ “Alright sir, take a deep breath. What’s his name?” _

“Maxwell Thakur. H-He’s only eleven years old. Oh God...he took him.”

_ “Who took him, David?” _

“His biological father, his name is Rohit Thakur. Oh god, he’ll kill him. Please  _ help me. _ ”

_ “Alright, David. The police are on their way. Can you tell me what happened?” _

David rattled off everything that Andrew had told him along with a description of Max.

_ “David, is it possible that Max went with Mr. Thakur willingly?” _

“Never. He’s scared to death of him. He was abused heavily and that’s why he now lives with me.”

There was a loud knock at the door and David ended the call with 9-1-1. He let the officers in and recited everything he had told the 9-1-1 operator. The police began scouring David’s home for evidence, which finally gave him a moment to breathe.

David was sitting on the couch, Karma nestled in his lap, holding his head in his hands when he realized.

_ Gwen. _

_ Gwen doesn’t know. _

David pulled out his cellphone and hit his speed dial.

She picked up on the second ring.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m late. I’ll be home in like ten minutes. Are we still cooking pasta tonight?”

David didn’t breathe, the only sound that came out of him was a choked sob.

“David? David, what’s wrong? Is Max okay?” 

_ “Why didn’t we listen? Why didn’t we take that note seriously?” _

  
  


“David, breathe. Where’s Max? You’re scaring me.” Gwen’s voice shook.

“He took him. Oh God, Gwen. He took him. He took our son.”

David let out a sob as Gwen’s wail echoed from the receiver. He needed to remain calm, Gwen was driving and he didn’t want to lose her as well.

“Gwen, listen to me. Focus on the road, take a deep breath and focus. Come home safely,  _ please. _ ”

“Okay, okay. I’m almost there. Breathe, Gwen, breathe.” He heard Gwen swallow down her tears. He didn’t end the call, he kept trying to keep her calm until she pulled up in the driveway. David shot out of his seat and ran to Gwen, who fell into his arms, sobbing.

As the police swarmed the house, the two remained locked in an embrace. Together the two broke down in tears in the driveway.

\-----------------------------------------

CHILD ABUSE WARNING

\-----------------------------------------

_ Where am I? _

_ I’m cold...it’s so cold. _

_ I can’t feel my fingers. _

_ What happened? _

Max lifted his head up to look around at his unfamiliar surroundings. The room was dark and he couldn’t see past his feet. He was sitting against a wall with his feet straight out. Max tried to move his right foot but found he couldn’t. It wasn’t that they were tied in any way they just wouldn’t budge no matter how hard Max willed it.

The only thing Max was able to move was his head, he looked at his arms only to find one of them cuffed to some kind of pole. 

_ Am I in a basement? Or a warehouse? _

_ What happened? _

Loud thunderous footsteps began echoing off the walls and Max’s blood ran cold as he suddenly remembered.

_ Fuck. FUCK. I’m back. Oh, fuck ME.  _

Max tried desperately to wiggle his arms and legs but to no avail, so he did the only thing he thought might keep him safe.

He pretended to be asleep.

The steps grew louder and louder and Max did his best to make his face appear slack and emotionless even though on the inside he had never been more afraid for his life. Suddenly the footsteps fell silent and he heard a mumbled curse. 

For a single moment, Max thought he might be safe.

His father grabbed Max’s hair and yanked him upward, causing his bound arm to rotate unnaturally behind his back. Max cried out in pain as he felt his shoulder dislocated from its socket.

**“It’s time to wake up, Max.”**

Max whimpered in fear as he felt a hand slap him sharply across the face. He opened his eyes to look into the eyes of a monster. His father had a crazed look in his eye that sent chills up his spine. He felt his stomach churn with disgust, so he spits in his face.

The monster slammed Max against the wall, causing Max’s head to crack against the cement wall. He saw stars. Still, Max glared at his father with unbridled rage.

The boy gathered his courage and hissed, “What? Aren’t you going to finish the job? Or am I just not worth it?”

**“You cost me everything. Everything!” ** His father roared. He released the boy and paced around in the dark for a moment, only stopping to yank the light switch in the center of the room.

The blinding light stung Max’s eyes but he now had a better visual of where he was. He was in a very familiar-looking bunker. He was at Camp Campbell. Hope sparked in his chest but he refused to let it show instead he mustered up his spitfire.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

**“After what happened the last time we spoke, the bank suddenly decided a few weeks ago to freeze my accounts. All my money. ** ** _Gone_ ** **. And it’s all your fault you ungrateful wretch.”**

“Funny, I don’t remember us having much of a conversation last time. All I remember is you getting your ass kicked. And regarding the money? You have only yourself to blame.”

Max groaned and keeled over on his side as his father kicked him in the ribs.

His father laughed, an ugly chortle that made Max flinch,  **“You think you’re so clever, don’t you?”**

“You deserve it. You f-fucking  _ deserve it _ . After what you did to mom...I hope you rot in hell.”

**“You know what I did to your mother, Max?”** His father grabbed his hair again and grew inches away from his face. His foul breath that reeked of alcohol made Max gag.

“You killed her. I know you did! She never would have...she never…” Max choked on his words.

**“I didn’t do a damn thing. That whore chose to kill herself. She hated us both.”**

“No! That’s not true! She loved me!” Max sobbed, “She only did it because you drove her to it!”

**“That may be true, but don’t worry son. You’ll be with her soon enough. But first you need to learn a thing or two about being grateful to those who provide for you. I gave you everything and you threw it all away for a shitty daycare teacher.”**

“The only thing you ever gave me was nightmares and scars. And I have all the evidence.”

His father scoffed and released him,  **“Oh really? How about we let you go a few days without food or water and see how we feel then? Or maybe you’ll freeze to death before then, who knows?”**

“You’re not going to kill me?”

**“Oh no, son. I’ll let nature take care of that. But don’t worry I’ll stop by every now and then to give you a few good licks. You see, son. I have all the time in the world. They’ll never find this place and even if they do it’ll take years. And that’s time that you don’t have.”**

Max laughed internally at the irony but still let out a convincing scream of frustration and fear as his father turned off the lights and left him alone in the bunker.

As soon as he was alone he began plotting his escape.

_ How the fuck did my father even know this place existed? It’s way too convenient that he would bring me here. What is he playing at? _

_ David, please hurry. _

\----------------------------------------

WARNING ENDED

\----------------------------------------

_ 48 Hours. _

_ The first 48 hours are critical. After that? The police aren’t searching for a child, they’re searching for a body. _

It had been twenty hours since Max had been kidnapped and David had never felt so hopeless. Once the police had finished searching his home they drove Gwen and him up to the precinct for questioning. It wasn't until early that morning that they were finally released.

As the two drove home in the flurries they sat in silence, Gwen's hand latched on to David's entire drive.

They didn't get much sleep that night. The two curled up together with Karma on David's bed and comforted one another the best they could. As soon as dawn began to break over the horizon the two crawled out of bed and into the kitchen.

David slumped against the kitchen table as Gwen brewed a pot of coffee in preparation for the long day ahead of them.

It was around nine in the morning when someone knocked at the door. 

_ Max?! _

David prayed in his thoughts as he raced to open the door. It wasn't Max. It was Dr. Hopper and Dr. Kane. They looked like they hadn't gotten much sleep either. Dr. Kane had Oliver passed out in her arms and David quickly ushered the three inside.

"Hello, David," Dr. Hopper said solemnly before wrapping him up in a warm hug. As she pulled away he felt dampness against his shoulder, but he didn't remark on it. "How are the two of you holding up?"

David sniffed, "Not well."

"Any news yet?" Emilie asked.

David shook his head, "They raided his house late last night and found nothing. He's gone."

"Oh, David…" Emilie sighed before giving him a comforting side hug. Oliver whined a bit from the jostling but didn't wake.

"We have come here to help find Max." Rachelle declared, "I do not care what laws we have to bend. We will find him. Police or no police."

Rachelle grabbed the bag she had slung over her shoulder and moved into the living room. She wasted no time dumping the contents of the bag onto the coffee table.

"I spent all night searching the files for everything we know about Max and Mr. Thakur. Now grab your coffee, David. We have work to do." 

\---------------------------

_ Growl. _

Max's stomach groaned endlessly and it was starting to drive him crazy. Now that he'd been eating regularly he was feeling the full effects of hunger once more.

He couldn't tell how long he'd been stuck in this bunker. No light shown through and there was no clock anywhere to be found.

His wrist and shoulder ached and his body hurt. He was almost positive his father had broken a few ribs. His shoulder, however, was on an entirely different level of pain. His neck and arm both felt numb and the dislocation itself swelled up to a bright purple. He knew he needed to pop it back into place; it was just that he was afraid to.

_ Come on, Max. You got this. This is nothing. Stop being a fucking wimp. _

He was sure he remembered how. It wasn’t the first time he’d had to do this after all. It was just the first time he’d had to do this on his own. Max tried to sit as straight as he could, he used his teeth to grab the collar of his sweatshirt. He bit down hard as he tried to mentally prepare himself for the pain. Max used his good arm to pull hard on his wrist, he was trying to center the joint in front of the socket so he could easily pop it back in.

Max took a deep breath and pushed his arm backward.

He screamed loud into the cloth wadded up in his mouth as the joint missed the socket and slid backward. Tears streamed down his face as Max pulled his arm forward and tried again. This time Max didn’t use enough pressure to pop it back in. Max was in agony but he had to keep trying. This time Max used the metal pole he was handcuffed to in order to create enough force to push the joint back into place.

Max took another deep breath, this one shakier than the last, and pushed back as hard as he could.

_ Pop. Click! _

The joint snapped back into its socket and Max felt excruciating pain followed by a cool flow of relief. 

_ Oh thank Christ, I fucking did it. _

Max let his head fall back against the cement wall and took a few minutes to slow his breathing down. His broken ribs screamed at the exertion and Max felt lightheaded. 

He tried his best to fight the wave of exhaustion that threatened to take him under. He was already so cold and he knew his toes and fingers were beginning to become frostbitten. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would survive down here.

His only solace was that thirst hadn’t become an issue yet, though it wouldn’t be long until it did. He remembered back to the one book he’d actually read and  _ liked _ in school,  _ The Hunger Games. _ Katniss had been in the arena for only two or three days when she herself had nearly died of thirst.

Max wondered how long it would be until his tongue had swollen up in his throat and threatened to suffocate him.

_ Not long, I suppose. _

He hoped that his father would want to prolong his demise, after all, dying of thirst would be a pretty boring way to go out, though not painless. Max thought back to his science class, if he remembered correctly, the human body could survive up to thirty days without food. Max’s body was already emaciated enough that he could whittle that number down to maybe fifteen to twenty days. The water took even less time, about four to seven days. If he had to guess, Max had only been here less than a day and already his odds seemed bleak.

He didn’t imagine he would survive tomorrow. If the cold didn’t get him, then dying of thirst certainly would. His sweatshirt and t-shirt could only provide so much insulation.

He needed to get the hell out of here. Perhaps he should Merle Dixon it and cut his own hand off. As appealing as the idea seemed, there didn’t seem to be any spare hacksaws lying around, though who knows what Cameron Campbell had lying around here.

_ The odds are definitely not in my favor. _

_ Please, I don't want to die here. I don't want to die at all!  _

_ Please, someone, help me. _

_ I don't want to die. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was the hardest thing I've ever had to write. MY POOR BABY BOY.
> 
> Please comment down below! They really help motivate me!


	23. Five More Minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a writing demon. I SHALL NEVER STOP NOT UNTIL I'VE SWARMED YOU ALL WITH ENOUGH ANGST AND FEELS TO GIVE YOU CRIPPLING DEPRESSION.
> 
> Unless you already have that. 
> 
> Welcome to my hellscape.

\-----------------------------------

CHILD ABUSE WARNING

\-----------------------------------

**“Wake up, Max.”**

Max jolted upward, startled from the slumber he hadn’t realized he’d fallen into. His father stood before him with a creepy grin and a familiar-looking belt clenched in his hands. Max took in a shaky breath as he mentally prepared himself for the pain to come.

He reeled his hand back, prepared to strike when a hand reached out to grab his father’s wrist. The figure was shadowy as it lurked around in the poorly lit bunker. Max did his best to make out the slender frame but came up blank. It wasn’t until he spoke that Max realized who was there.

“You know, Rohit. As entertaining as it might be to watch you beat the hell out of him, I have a few questions for our little friend here. Questions that I need him awake and alert for.”

_ Daniel.  _

The pieces suddenly clicked. Of course, Daniel would know  _ exactly  _ where this bunker was. David and he had left him stranded in it months ago. Max shivered as the bleach-blonde psychopath squatted in front of him. Max’s father huffed and backed away, making sure to give Max a cold glare beforehand.

**“Very well, I’ll be upstairs. Just let me know when you're finished.”**

His loud footsteps echoed off the drafty cement walls as his father trudged upstairs and out of sight. Now Max was alone with the one person who possibly frightened him more than his father. The insane cult-leader who had tried to kill him multiple times over the summer. Daniel.

“Hello, Max! You aren’t looking so hot.” Daniel chuckled. “Want some water?”

Daniel teased a metal bottle over his head before taking a swig of it himself. Max licked his lips thirsty and desperate. Max growled at the man before using his left foot to nail Daniel in the shins. He winced but didn’t falter, instead he backhanded the boy with the water bottle. Max’s vision swam as the metal cracked against his temple.

“Oops, my bad. I wasn’t supposed to do that. Ah, well. Accidents happen and all that.” 

“What do you want, Daniel?” Max slurred, his head pounding.

Daniel beamed, seemingly pleased at the question, “Why, the same thing the scary man with the belt wants. ** Revenge.** ”

Max tilted his head confused, probably from the newly forming concussion.

“You see, Maxwell, you and that camp counselor of yours really cost me a lot. My whole organization! And ever since the last time we encountered one another, my relationship with Xemug. All that trust I’d been gaining ever since I was young has been forgotten. And I blame you.”

“You’re fucking insane, you know that right?” Max spat. 

“Ah, so naive you are. It’s only natural you’d think me to be crazy. Have some faith dear boy, it’ll do the soul wonders. Anyway, back to what I was saying. Why I would  _ love _ to offer your spitfire of a soul to Xemug, he seems to be interested more in that dear counselor you seem to be so fond of.”

_ Wait, what? _

_ Why kidnap me then? _

“Excellent question, Max. Full marks.”

_ Shit. _ He hadn’t meant to say that out loud, his brain really must be fried. Max tried to think of a reason why he was here but his mind was just too hazy and clouded to come up with a reasonable answer.

“Don’t think so hard, Max. The answer really is quite simple. You see, you merely bait. My real quarrel has always been with David. I merely persuaded your father to  _ want _ to take you back. You didn’t think he actually cared about you, did you?”

“Of course, not. My father never cared about me.”

“The promise of riches was all it took, that and the address of your current housing situation. After that, the pieces all fell into place.”

Max’s blood ran cold as it finally dawned on him what Daniel was planning. He took a shaky breath and stuttered out,

“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?”

“Well aren’t you a bright one. Exactly. Once David knows where you are he won’t be able to resist the urge to come to rescue his favorite camper. And after he’s dead, the only loose end will be your idiotic father. And you, of course. Three juicy souls, all ready to be consumed by Xemug. His trust will finally be restored and I can get back to work.”

“David’s not stupid. He’ll never fall for it.”

Daniel chuckled darkly and rustled his hair. Max flinched away from the touch. 

“Don’t be a fool, Max. Of course, he will. Everyone has a weakness. David’s weakness just happens to be you. It appears that the feeling is mutual.”

Suddenly a knife was pressed against Max’s throat. He didn’t breathe as the metal cut gently into his neck. 

“Let’s call your father back down here, shall we? We have a call to make.”

\----------------------------------------------

WARNING ENDED

\----------------------------------------------

David flipped quickly through the third manilla folder that was filled to the brim with past offense made by Max’s father. 

Domestic abuse, endangerment of a child, assault of a minor, the list was endless. 

David leaned back against the couch as his head pounded. As much as he appreciated what Rachelle had done for him, there just wasn’t a lead to be found anywhere in these folders. None of them mentioned a possible place where Rohit was holding Max. David rubbed at his eyes as fatigue struck him. He reached for his mug to take a long sip out of his coffee cup.

Suddenly Gwen grabbed her head and groaned in frustration, “God, this is pointless. There’s nothing here! No mention of any secondary locations that he owned.”

Oliver stirred in Emilie’s arms at the sudden outburst, but then settled back into his innocent slumber. Gwen envied the baby for a moment, he had no idea that something was wrong. 

Gwen felt a hand against her shoulder and she leaned back into David’s touch. He wrapped his arms around her slender frame and held her close.

“I know this is frustrating, Gwen. But, this was everything I could find. I really thought we might find something in here.” Rachelle said, solemnly. 

“It’s not your fault, I’m just no good when I’m upset,” Gwen explained.

“I know it’s difficult but--” Emilie was suddenly cut off when David’s phone rang. David looked down to check the caller ID only to find it was from an unknown number. He didn’t hesitate as he quickly pressed the answer button.

For a moment there was silence but then a faint cry echoed from the other end of the receiver. David made a high pitch choked noise as he desperately said, “Hello? Max, is that you?”

_ “David…”  _ His voice was weak and cracked. The boy sounded terrible. _What were they doing to him?_

“Max, I’m here. It’s me, it’s David. Where are you, bud?”

Gwen suddenly grabbed the phone out of David’s hand and put the call on speaker for all to hear.

She spoke with as much desperation as David had, “I’m here too, baby. Tell us where you are. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

**“Well isn’t that sweet? You finally found a new mom, Max? I wonder how your mother would feel about you replacing her so quickly.”**

“Fuck..you...She’d love Gwen. Why, jealous?”

A loud crack echoed from the other end and Max cried out.

“Stop! Stop! Don’t hurt him, please!” David cried as Gwen cried out as well. Emilie handed Oliver over to Rachelle and sat down next to Gwen. She wrapped her arms around the crying woman and held her close.

“Easy, Thakur. Don’t break the brat.” A cold familiar voice hissed. David choked back a gasp.

“Daniel.”

“Ding, ding! We have a winner,” Daniel cackled. “How’s life been treating you, David? It’s been a while since we last spoke!”

“You bastard, what do you want with him?” Gwen yelled as she suddenly broke from Emilie’s embrace.

“Easy, Gweneth. We don’t want Max here to take too much of a beating today.”

“Listen closely, David. As much as I would love to kill the brat myself. I’d much rather take my anger out on you? Remember our little sparring match? It’s time for a rematch.”

“What are you playing at, Daniel?” David asked.

“Revenge, of course! You know the place, meet me there if you ever want to see your camper again. Here, I’ll give you some motivation so that you won’t make me wait too long.”

There was a loud clanging sound and Max’s scream echoed throughout the room. There was a long silence before a quiet and broken voice whispered.

“Don’t...Don’t come. He’ll...kill...you…” The boy took a shaky breath before continuing, “I-I love you both.. _ .I’m sorry _ …”

“Max! Max!” David screamed but it was too late. The call ended and the room fell silent.

It was many minutes before anyone spoke. It wasn’t until Rachelle stood up from her seat that noise returned to the room. She spoke firmly as she took David’s hands in her own.

“You can not go. Do you hear me, David? That is just what he wants. Let the police handle this,  _ please. _ ”

David shook his head, “You know I can’t do that, Rachelle. I have to save him, he’ll kill him if I bring the police.”

Rachelle dropped her head in her hands, she took a moment to regain her composure,

“God, you both are too headstrong for your own good. Take Gwen with you and an agent of my own. Please, that is all I ask.”

She looked to Gwen, “I would ask that you stay behind, but I already know that you will not.”

“Damn, right I won't.” Gwen said, “If David goes, then so do I. But save your agent, I have some people of my own.”

“Who?” Rachelle asked blankly. David grabbed Gwen’s shoulder and turned her to look at him,

“You don’t mean…”

“He owes you this much, David.”

“What makes you so sure he will help?” David asked. 

“Public service. Also, I have Erid’s dads on speed dial if he refuses.”

David nodded and stood up. He sighed, resigned.

“Very well, Let’s call Cameron Campbell.”

\---------------------------------------------

Hours later, Max’s body was left broken in the bunker. Everything hurt and he was certain that his collar bone was broken. He had cuts and bruises all over his body, both from his father’s belt and Daniel’s knife.

The boy sobbed, no longer caring who heard him. If the two decided to come back and kill him he wouldn't even flinch. He just wanted this to end.

_ “Don’t give up, Max. David would want that for you.”  _ A whispered voice suddenly spoke in his ear. Max jumped and immediately groaned from the sudden movement. He opened his eyes and in front of him was a familiar ghost with light-up sneakers. The boy glowed a ghostly blue and offered Max a sad smile.

“Jasper?” Max asked weakly.

_ “Hey, Max. You aren’t looking so good. Come on, sit up. Let’s see what I can do.” _

“Do? What do you mean? Why are you here?” Max questioned.

“You’ve grown far too close to death, Max. Why else would you be able to see me here, instead of Spooky Island?” Jasper explained.

“I guess that makes sense.” Max reasoned without much thought.

"Why are you here though? It's not like you owe me anything," Max rasped, suddenly overcome by a coughing fit. He carried on for a few minutes until it passed and then slumped back against the wall, exhaustion creeping in on him. 

“I’m here because David has already lost so much. His father abandoned him when he was three and his mother doesn’t have much time left. Do you remember the day he told you about his mom, Max?”

How could he forget? It was one of the very few times that Max had let down his walls at camp…

_ Half a year earlier… _

Max had been returning from the mess hall and had been about to head to bed when he heard a faint sniffling coming from the docks. He was about to shrug it off as someone being homesick, but something made him turn around to see who it was.

As he drew nearer to the docks, a shape began to form under the moonlight. It was David. Normally, Max would have immediately begun to make fun of him for being a baby, but once again something told him not to. 

He walked up to him and took a seat next to him. His red sneakers hung off the dock and threatened to touch the icy cold water.

“What’s the matter with you?” Max said tersely, not completely sure what he was supposed to do in this situation.

“Go to bed, Max. Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. Just tired.” David lied, the rims around his eyes bright red from where he’d been crying.

Max waited until his patience, or lack thereof caused him to pry further, “So are you going to tell me or do I need to nag it out of you?”

David sighed but gave Max a small smile. He looked down at the water as he spoke.

“You never do let things go, do you?”

“Nope. Just another aspect of my charming personality. Seriously, David, what’s wrong?” Max quipped.

David took in a shaky breath before answering softly, “M-My...uh...my mother called me today. She told me some...uh bad news.”

Max nudged his shoulder, signaling him to continue the story.

“She’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The doctors say she’s maybe got a year left.”

_ Oh. Shit, what do I say to that? _

Max scratched the back of his neck nervously. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. However, he didn’t want to tell him hopeful and sappy bullshit. Instead, he offered his sympathies and a tale of his own.

“Damn, that sucks. I’m sorry, David.” Max began, “But I understand how you feel, losing a parent sucks ass.”

Now David was the one confused, he shifted uncomfortably for a moment before he asked, “What do you mean by that, Max?”

“Last year, my mother committed suicide. I know it's not the same as cancer but it hurts all the same.”

“Oh, Max. I’m so sorry.” David began before Max cut in, “Don’t get all fucking apologetic on me. I don’t need pity.”

“Were you two close?” David asked. 

_ A child laughs as his mother swings him around in her arms.  _

_ The mother reads her favorite books to him every night before he falls asleep. _

_ A boy spends two hours in the kitchen trying to make his mother’s favorite drink. _

_ Together the two curled up together to watch their favorite movie. _

Max swallowed, “Yeah...you could say that.”

Suddenly, the boy stood and turned to David, “I just wanted to say. I’m really sorry about your mom and I hope she gets better. Alright?  _ Okay, bye. _ ”

Max spun on his heel and hiked his hood up over his head, his face was flush red with embarrassment as he practically bolted back to his tent.

_ “Max? Hey, Max! Dude, wake up!” _

Max jolted out of his daze and turned to look back at Jasper, who sighed in relief.

“Phew, I thought I’d lost you there. You, okay?”

_ Let’s see...I’m pretty sure I have a couple of broken bones, not to mention another concussion. I’m bruised and beaten to hell. I’m freezing to death and I’m dying of thirst. Obviously fucking not. _

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

Jasper looked startled, “Stay awake, Max. I don’t know if you’ll be able to wake up again. Keep yourself focused.”

_ Easier said than done, ghost-boy. _

He wasn’t wrong, Max wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to hold out. The temperature in the bunker only seemed to get colder by the hour. That wasn’t what scared him though. What scared him was that he could no longer feel the cold. His hands and toes had long since gone numb and his head was foggy and confused. At most, Max guessed he would only be able to last another day. Maybe.

_ “Hey. Hey! Uh-Uh, wake it up, kid.” _

Once again, Max was jolted from his thoughts. It seemed that every time he thought for too long he would become briefly unresponsive. He wasn’t sure if he was passing out or not. He couldn’t even be certain---

_ “HEY! WAKE THE FUCK UP, DUMBASS!” _

“Ow, my ears.” Max groaned at Jasper’s high-pitched scream.

“Good! Stay awake or I’ll do it again.”

Max sighed, “I’m tired, Jasper. I don’t...I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Look at me, Max.” Jasper squatted in front of him and waved his hand back and forth trying to gain the boy’s attention. Max’s eyes were glazed and it was clear to Jasper that the boy was just barely holding on.

_ Hurry, David. I don’t know how much longer he has. _

“You  _ can  _ do this Max. You know why?” Jasper asked.

“Hm? Why?” Max slurred.

“David needs you. You mean everything to him. He would do anything for you. You know that right?” Jasper assured.

“Yeah...Yeah, I know.” Max yawned as he fought hard to keep his eyes open. He vaguely understood what Jasper was trying to tell him, but all he could think about was closing his eyes for just five minutes.

_ Five minutes, just five minutes and then I’ll wake up. _

_ Yeah, just five...minutes… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this chapter at 1 pm. 
> 
> What the fuck.
> 
> Excuse me while I join Max in sleepy town.


	24. A True Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 24 yall. I wrote this like a demon last night instead of sleeping.  
Just one more to go...

“Are you sure about this, Gwen? I’m not so sure he’ll really be willing to help us. I’m more scared that he’ll get in the way,” David asked nervously. He wanted to trust Campbell, he really did, but his track record was less than perfect.

“I know, I know. Trust me on this though. I promise you that he’ll be  _ more _ than willing to help. He’s changed, David. I know you’ve seen it. He really does care about the kids. Remember the night we found all of the kids sleeping in the cabin? I know you don’t trust him. So trust me instead.” Gwen proclaimed.

David was shocked by the amount of faith she had in Campbell, but he didn’t argue. There wasn’t time to argue. David and Gwen took fifteen minutes to pack essentials; food, water, flashlights, and warm blankets.

Gwen fumbled around in the lockbox under the bed and handed David a small handgun. David gulped. He didn’t like guns, he only had only bought this one after Max’s dad had broken into his house the first time. David wrapped his hand around the pistol and carefully stowed it away in his bag. 

Rachelle and Emilie offered to take Karma while they were gone, and offer they accepted gladly. They bundled up in their coats and said their goodbyes to the ladies.

“Be safe, you two. Promise?” Rachelle asked, holding each of their hands in her own. Gwen and David nodded. Emilie stepped forward and wrapped them both up in a hug. As she pulled away she placed one hand on Gwen’s cheek and grabbed one of David’s hands.

She was steadfast and firm as she said, “Bring him home, okay?”

“We will. I promise.” Gwen said before hugging the woman tightly.

The two waved goodbye and loaded up into David’s truck. David fumbled briefly with the GPS directions before speeding off into the snow. Gwen fidgeted nervously for a moment before she typed Campbell’s number into her phone.

Before she could hit the call button, her phone rang. She looked at the ID and was shocked to see that Campbell was calling her.

She hit the answer button and spoke, “Campbell?”

“You know, Grace. I really don’t appreciate it when small children break into my house.”

She ignored the fact that he had called her Grace and asked, bewildered, “ _ What are you talking about?” _

“Your kid’s little friends are in my living room. Neil and uh...girl Neil?”

“Jesus Christ. Did they tell you about, Max?” 

“Something about his crazy lunatic father kidnapping him? And then something about no one answering their calls.”

Gwen groaned, “Listen, we need your help. Meet us at the town and bring Nikki and Neil.”

“Why the town? What’s near Camp Campbell?” 

“Max. Max is at the Camp. He’s being held hostage by his dad and  _ Daniel. _ You owe us, so you better be willing to help us.”

Cameron sighed from the other end of the call, “I suppose there isn’t much choice. You want me to  _ bring the children? _ ”

“Obviously, you can’t just leave them there. How they found you is beyond me but I think I know why they went to your house and not ours.”

“Very well, I’ll see you two there.”

The call ended and Gwen slapped a palm to her forehead, “Fucking brats. Too smart for their own good.”

“Why would the track down Campbell?” David asked.

“They must have guessed I would have called him in as back up. They knew that we wouldn’t bring them if they came to our house. Clever.”

“We can’t let them get anywhere near the Camp, Gwen. It’s too dangerous.”

“We’ll drop them off at the police station and then pick them back up when we’ve found Max. Your little police buddy still works there right?”

“Sal? Yeah, I think so.

"Go ahead and warn him about Campbell's stowaways. If he has to he can put them in one of the cells. I don't trust those kids to stay put."

"You want me to tell him to put two children in jail?" David asked incredulously.

"For a couple of hours! Jesus, David. I'm not insane!" 

David turned briefly to face her before looking back at the snowy road.

"Is that even legal?!"

Gwen shrugged, "Probably not. Listen I'll pay Sal if I have to, just make the call."

David sighed and pulled out his phone.

\----------------------------------------------------

His head was pounding and his entire body was numb as Max slowly roused and opened his eyes. 

"Oh thank Christ, I thought you were dead, Max." Jasper exclaimed, relief shining in his cloudy blue eyes. The boy sat down in front of Max as he looked over the boy.

Max chuckled softly before struggling to pull his body in a sitting position, "Nope, still kicking."

"How do you feel?" Jasper asked.

"Like shit, but somehow less so?" Max said, puzzled. He felt like he was on death's door a few hours ago. He shouldn't have woken up from that sleep but somehow, here he was. Sure he still felt awful, but he had some of his strength back.

"What did you do?" Max asked warily, closely studying any sign of guilt in Jasper's eyes.

Jasper shrugged, "I tried to channel you for a while, it seemed like it was helping. Your body temperature is still really low, but for now, you're stable."

"Jesus Christ, are you okay?" 

It was odd how little Max cared about the fact that Jasper had practically possessed him. He was more concerned with how translucent Jasper was beginning to look.

"I'm tired, I don't know how much longer I can be away from the island. I don't have much time left." Jasper explained.

Max sighed. He figured Jasper wouldn't have been able to stay with him for long. He was just scared to be alone again. Still, his friend's ghostly health? Or something like that was more important than his own needs.

"It's okay, Jasper. You can go, I'll be okay." Max lied through his teeth. Even though Jasper was dead, he still cared about the well-being of his friend.

"No, I still have one thing left to do." Jasper paused for a moment and looked around, "He's almost here. I can feel it."

"Who is? What do you mean?" Max questioned.

"I can't tell you. Just trust me okay? Try to get as far away from here as you can. Stay close to the road and stop the first car you see." Jasper said, his tone serious.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Jasper moved to his handcuffs. He grabbed the chain-link and focused. His faint blue glow grew bright and suddenly the handcuffs clicked and Max's hand was free.

"How? H-How did you do that?" Max grabbed his swollen wrist, rubbed raw from the friction of trying to yank his hand free.

Jasper suddenly gasped and seemed pale, his body growing faint and his ethereal light dimming. He mouthed something to Max that was too quiet for him to hear. Jasper gave him a weak thumbs up before fading away.

"Jasper!" Max exclaimed, but he was gone. Max sat there in silence for a moment before Jasper's words ran through his mind again.

He had to get out of here. Before Daniel and his father came back. He didn't have much time. Max stood up and his legs trembled. He staggered toward the shelves that littered the room. Max was looking for something, anything that could defend him in case he got caught. He opened up one of the desk drawers and found an old pocket knife.

_ Perfect. _

Max shoved the knife in his pockets and carefully crept his way up the old staircase. He reached the ladder that led to the exit and grabbed hold of the rung.

Max took a shaky breath and allowed his adrenaline to force his body up the ladder. Max shot his hand up and felt for the bunker door. He pushed as hard as he could and felt the rusty trapdoor give way.

Once he had lifted the door about half a foot he shoved his body through the opening and crawled out into the snow.

It was around early evening from what Max could tell, the sun dipped low in the horizon. The trees were covered in white and Max took a quick moment to appreciate the beauty of Camp Campbell covered in snow.

_ Now is not the time! _

It would be dark soon and Max didn't have a flashlight. He crawled into the nearest bush and looked around for any sign of his captors.

The clearing was empty and silent. The camp was still. Max stayed in the treeline as he crawled from bush to bush, working his way toward the road. He was almost there when he heard shouting.

" _ Thakur! _ Your brat is gone! Get your ass over here."

His breath caught in his throat but he didn't stop, he couldn't stop. He could exhaustion seeping in as the adrenaline that had got him up the ladder faded away. The bushes rustled, a bit too loudly, and Max swore under his breath.

Tires screeched in the distance and multiple things happened at once. 

His father was sprinting towards him, alerted by the sudden rustle of Max's bush. In the distance, Max could see David's truck skid across the ice as the breaks we slammed hard.

Max got up from his hiding spot and sprinted towards the truck. He almost fell across the ice a few times but managed to keep his balance. His legs shook with exertion but he kept running as fast as he could.

He could see David, Gwen, and...Cameron Campbell? Their expressions were laced with shock as they took in the sight of him. The truck halted and David jumped out of the truck and ran for him.

He was almost there. Max stretched out his hand to grab David, but he was suddenly jerked back as his father grabbed his hoodie.

"No!" Max screamed.

**"** ** _I don't think so, Maxwell!"_ **

\-----------------------------------------

The two parked at the station and jumped out to meet Campbell. Both Nikki and Neil trailed glumly behind him.

David crossed his arms and shot the two a glare. He crouched down in front of the two and yelled, 

"What on earth were you two thinking? Taking a train in the middle of the night without alerting your parents?! You could have been kidnapped and then we'd have three children to rescue! Were you even thinking?!"

"I-I'm sorry, David." Nikki's bottom lip trembled as she spoke.

"We couldn't just sit there! Max is in danger!" Neil countered.

"Yes! He is! And you both are children! What did you think you'd be able to do? Did you honestly believe you'd be able to take down two insane psychopaths?" David continued, his temper snapping.

A hand grasped at his shoulder and Gwen spoke, "David... enough. We don't have time for this. We need to go. Cameron goes and gives the kids to Sal and meet us in the car."

"Wait! You're leaving us?!" Neil protested.

" _ Yes! _ We have to go save, Max. And  _ no,  _ you two cannot come. It's far too dangerous. Sal will watch you until we get back."

"But that isn't fair! We came all this way! We are back up!" Nikki screeched.

"No, you're stowaways. Now stop arguing. This conversation is over." Gwen hissed at the two.

David and Gwen hopped back into the truck and waited impatiently for Cameron to return. As soon as the man hopped into the cramped backseat, David slammed the gas, and the truck shot off into the road.

"It's nice to see you too, Davey." Cameron huffed.

"Not now, Campbell. Not now." David snapped, his mind too focused on rescuing his son.

The car ride was mostly silent and they had almost reached the entrance when David gasped at the sight of Rohit sprinting toward the car. David slammed the breaks, sending everyone in the car jerking forward against their seatbelts.

A bush to his right caught his eye as a small figure bolted from the bushes towards the car.

There was a collective gasp in the truck as the figure turned out to be Max. He looked God-awful. The boy looked even more malnourished and frail than before. His body was covered in bruises and his hands were blue. 

David jumped from the front seat and into the snow as he sprinted towards Max. 

He wasn't fast enough as Mr. Thakur grabbed Max's hoodie and yanked him back. He fished out a gun from his back pocket and held it against the boy's temple.

David didn't even flinch as he drew his own gun and aimed it at Rohit.

The two stood still, appearing to be at a stalemate. Max whimpered at something Rohit whispered in Max's ear.

Mr. Thakur growled at David,  **"How nice of you to drive all the way here to say goodbye to Max! I was worried for a moment that you might not show."**

"Don't lie, Rohit. You knew I would come. Where is Daniel?" He proclaimed, his eyes didn't leave Max's face.

He heard the car door open from behind him as Gwen and Cameron hesitantly exited the truck.

**"Stay back! I swear to God I'll shoot him."** Mr. Thakur dug the barrel hard into Max's temple.

"Stop! If you're going to wave that thing at someone, wave it at me. Leave Max alone." David cried out, he could feel Max's distress as clearly as if it was his own.

He felt dampness trail down his cheek as he realized he was crying.

**"Hell no. Max here is my ticket out of here. Step away from the vehicle and leave the keys in the front seat."**

David shook his head to the side, signaling Gwen to go comply with his demands. He wasn't going to let Rohit take Max but he couldn't risk Max getting shot if he didn't listen.

So David tried to antagonize him. Because that is such a good idea.

"Coward. Running away with your tail between your legs. You know as well as I do that this ends here. Nobody here is going to let you walk away with that boy."

"I mean, I might," Cameron chimed.

"Shut the  _ fuck _ up," Gwen hissed.

Rohit hissed as he shifted the gun downward toward Max's throat. David's breath hitched but he kept going, he needed to get the gun away from Max.

"Come on, Rohit. Let the boy go. I'm sure we can work out a deal. After all, he's my son, not yours. He's always been, my son."

Mr. Thakur stamped his foot in anger and jerked Max further up in his arms.

**"Stop it! How stupid do you think I am? How do I know there aren't police surrounding this place"**

_ Almost there. _

"It's a small town, Rohit. There aren't even enough cops here to surround half of this camp. Let go of Max! Take the truck and leave."

Something dark shifted in Rohit's eye and he whispered something to Max. The boy's eyes widened in fear.

Time slowed as Rohit shifted the gun from Max to David. He was ready though. David screamed for everyone to take cover. David rolled to the side as the shot rang out.

Someone screamed and everything was silent.

David looked up and watched as Max drove a small knife into his father's neck. Rohit jerked back violently and threw the boy to the side. Max hit the ground hard and slumped against the side of the road.

The man staggered around for a moment before falling to his knees. David was still as he watched Rohit choke to death in a pool of his own blood.

He stared at the man for a long time, watching as his body grew still and his breathing stopped. It was fascinating. His enemy was dead and David felt nothing but pity for the man. It was a strange feeling. He knew he should have felt some sort of satisfaction from watching the man die horrifically, but all he could think about was about how low the man had fallen. Greed was all Rohit had ever cared about. David wondered if he’d always been so cruel, he supposed not. Monsters aren’t born, they’re made. He was glad he was dead, of course. 

He just wondered what made him believe that kidnapping his son would have led him to riches. How deluded do you have to be to believe that? How desperate do you have to be?

David looked down as the snow began to turn a deep red, stained by Mr. Thakur’s blood. It trailed down till it was just a few inches in front of him. He didn’t touch it, he only stared at it. He was fascinated by the patterns it made in the snow.

Someone sprinted in front of him and David vaguely registered Cameron grasping at David's arm. He tugged David harshly, leading him towards the truck. He was shoved unceremoniously into the backseat. Somewhere in the back to David's mind, something whispered to him that he was in shock.

Cameron hopped into the driver's seat and waited for Gwen to climb into the passenger seat. Max was lying limp in Gwen's arms, his breathing ragged and uneven.

David shook himself out his mind and leaned forward to cup Max's cheek.

The boy was running a high fever, the rest of his body was ice cold. But he was alive.

_ Daniel. _

_ Where is Daniel? _

"Gone. I suppose. He ran into the wood from what I saw. We'll worry about him later."

_ Oops _ .  _ I said that out loud. _

"Oh, God. He's alive. Oh, thank you, Jesus. Thank you." David suddenly cried out as all the emotions he'd been fighting back crashed into him.

Gwen reached back to clasp David's hand in her own as the two cried tears of joy. Max was alive. He was alive.

"H-Hospital. We need to get to the hospital." David stuttered out to Campbell. 

Campbell nodded, "We are already on our way. I'll drop the three of you off there and then head back to grab the kids."

"Gwen, you need to call the police and tell them what happened. Can you do that?" Cameron asked. David was surprised, he hadn't expected Campbell to end up being the level headed one today.

Gwen nodded, she shifted Max over the backseats, handing him to David. 

She quickly turned the heat on blast and grabbed her phone.

The call she made didn't register for David. All he could do was stare at Max's beaten and bloodied face. His lip was swollen and there was a deep knife cut on his nose. It would almost certainly leave a scar. 

_ That's the last one. I promise you, Max. _

_ You'll never get another scar again. I won't let anyone ever hurt you again. _

The boy shifted his body as he curled closer to David, chasing his warmth. David reached down to grab the blankets they'd packed for him. He quickly wrapped the boy up tightly in multiple blankets before laying Max's head against his shoulder. He hugged the boy tightly against his chest and began humming softly to him. 

_ I promise… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See I told you I wouldn't kill him!!!
> 
> Y'all worry too much


	25. Life Goes On.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we did it, you guys. AND IN UNDER A YEAR (just barely)
> 
> Please enjoy the finale to How To Foster an Asshole!

The darkness was a comfort. The endless silence in Max’s brain was a welcomed change of pace. Normally his head was so clouded with worries. Now there was only silence.

It could have been days, weeks, maybe even months. Max didn’t really care as he drifted endlessly in the void, happily allowing it to engulf him. Slowly, but surely, the noise began to find its way back to him. It was not unwelcome though, the voices he heard were kind and loving. Ranging from the voice of a loving father to the high-pitched voice of a green-haired girl. 

He didn’t open his eyes though. He wasn’t ready.

Time passed and the voices never left. As he drifted a new voice began to echo in his thoughts. The voice was different, almost like a memory. It was not one he remembered though. The voice was caring and warm as it wrapped Max up like a warm blanket.

For the first time, he could make out what the voice said to him. At first, it was just a few words at a time but over time it became a few sentences.

“ _ Mere beta. Jaago, mere bete.” _

Max called out from the void, “_Maan?_ _Maan, _where are you? It’s too dark, I can’t see.”

“Wake up, my son. You need to wake up.” His mother whispered.

"But I'm so tired,  _ Maan.  _ And it's so warm and nice here. Do I have to?" 

"Yes, my love. It's not your time yet. David and Gwen both need you, it's time to go home."

The void grew dimmer as his mother's voice began to fade. Max panicked and desperately tried to hold on.

"I love you, Max. I'm so proud of you,  _ mere bete _ ."

_ "Maan!  _ No! I don't wanna go! I want to stay with you!"

For a brief moment, Max caught a glimpse of his mother smiling at him before she vanished and the void faded.

His eyes felt heavy as he blinked. Light shined down on his face causing him to groan and look away. A voice spoke as he turned on his side but it was too distorted to make out.

A sharp pain ached in his side and caused him to turn back over on his back. Now the light was back in his eyes and Max groaned again. There was some shuffling in the background and the light suddenly dimmed. The boy breathed out a sigh of relief as his pounding headache faded.

Max opened up an eye and looked around the room. He was in a hospital from what he could tell. Max whimpered, he hated hospitals. People die at hospitals. Important people die at hospitals.

"Hey...Hey...it's okay, buddy. You're safe." A comforting voice whispered. A hand brushed through his curls and Max leaned into the touch. He looked up to see Gwen running her fingers through his hair. She smiled softly at him and tilted her head to the side. 

Max looked down to see David sleeping soundly on his legs. In his clenched fist was Max's left hand. He was hunched over in his chair and honestly looked like shit.

"He hasn't slept in two days. I finally convinced him earlier to take a nap. That was about four hours ago. Idiot…" Gwen sighed.

"What happened?"

Gwen chuckled, "A lot. You've been asleep for about two days. Just rest now, everything's alright."

"Where's my father? Did they arrest him?" Max asked hesitantly, not sure if he really wanted to know.

Gwen looked down nervously, she seemed to be unsure how to answer Max's question.

"Gwen? Did they arrest him?" Max asked more seriously.

"You don't need to worry about him ever again, he's gone," Gwen spoke slowly but Max could tell she was hiding something from him so he pressed further.

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?" 

"How much do you remember, Max?" Gwen questioned. She was fiddling with ends of her hair, a nervous habit.

"Not much, I remember escaping from the bunker and running toward the trunk. After that? It's a blur."

Gwen sighed, "He's dead, Max. He'll never hurt you again."

" _ Oh, _ " Max choked, unsure of how to handle the news. His father was dead. He was relieved but he still felt odd about it. His father was only ever cruel to him, but he was still his father.

"I'm an orphan, now. I always hoped I'd never had to see him again, but I...I never wanted him to die."

Gwen grabbed Max's shoulder suddenly and looked him firmly in the eye.

"Listen to me, Max. You're not an orphan, nor will you ever be. I mean what do you think David and I are? Counselors?"

Max giggled softly, "I guess not. So what else happened? What about Daniel?"

Gwen let her head hang as she responded, "He never showed, the police are still searching the woods and the town. I doubt they'll find him, though."

"I see...that's unnerving." 

"Are you thirsty? Or hungry?" Gwen suddenly cheered, seemingly relieved that she could change the subject. There was still something that Gwen wasn't telling him, but Max was too tired to ask.

"Yeah, can I get some water?"

"Of course," Gwen said, she got up and left the room to go grab him a cup.

Max let himself relax for a moment. His body felt light and weightless as he felt the painkillers flow through him. It was uncomfortable and made him feel weird. Max untangled his hand from David's and ripped the IV from his arm.

Suddenly the monitor blared as it flatlined. Max groaned at the loud noise pierced his ears. 

David shot up, fear lacing his expression. He looked at Max, who was very much alive and sighed in relief. David got up for a minute to turn the monitor off before sitting back down.

"Sorry…" Max whispered.

"You're awake. Thank God, I was beginning to get even more worried." David said sleepily. He rubbed his eyes and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Where's Gwen?" David asked as he looked around for the missing member of their family.

"She went to get me some water."

"Oh okay, how do you feel?" 

Max thought about it for a moment. He still felt pretty weird with the painkillers but he was slowly becoming less numb. He was excruciatingly sore but other than that he was fine. He was sure his concussion was back, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one he'd had. His shoulder ached from where it had been dislocated. Other than that he was cut and bruised to hell.

"I'm okay, I think." Max finally answered. 

"I don't want to go back to sleep, David. Can I stay awake?"

"You need sleep, buddy. Your body needs to heal. But if you really don't want to, how about we watch a movie?"

Max nodded and sat up in his bed. His bones cracked from the way he'd been sleeping. His ribs ached from the movement and he groaned. David looked back at him, concerned but Max merely shook his head.

Suddenly the door opened and a nurse walked in. She looked surprised to see Max awake, then she spotted where Max had ripped out his IV.

"Sorry, kid. You need to keep this in, it won't be too much longer." The nurse changed out the needle and shoved it back into his arm. Max winced at the jab but didn't respond.

It didn't take long for the drugs to kick in and suddenly Max felt exhausted. He whined at the feeling and saw David laugh under his breath.

"Traitor." Max murmured.

"Go to sleep, Max. We'll be here when you wake back up." David smiled.

He fought the wave of fatigue that crashed over him but eventually gave up and allowed himself to go back under.

\----------------------------------------------------

“For the love of Christ! Can this truck go any faster!” Gwen screamed at Campbell, who quickly stepped on the gas.

“I’m going as fast as I can without getting pulled over Gertrude!” Cameron hissed back.

“MY NAME IS GWEN FOR FUCK’S SAKE!”

David curled the unconscious boy tightly in his arms as Cameron swerved off the highway onto the intersection. They were about two minutes from the hospital, but David was scared to death that Max wouldn’t make it that long.

The boy was freezing still, even with the surplus of blankets bound tightly around him. His breathing was shaky and uneven, coming out slower and slower. He could only watch helplessly as the boy grew paler and paler, the blood leaving him slowly. David could feel the life draining from him. He couldn’t find where he was bleeding no matter how hard he looked. Why did it seem like he was losing so much blood?!

Suddenly, Max’s breathing stopped, and so did David’s heart.

“Oh God, we’re losing him! Hurry, please! He’s dying!” David sobbed.

Gwen turned around in her seat and held David’s hand tightly within her own. She pressed a palm against Max’s cheek and fear laced her expression. She turned back around and began to unbuckle her seatbelt.

“Pull over and trade seats with me, NOW,” Gwen ordered. Cameron complied and swerved into the grass. The two quickly swapped seats and Gwen hit the gas.

She drove like a demon but was arguable much faster than Cameron. In less than a minute they had arrived.

As soon as they pulled into the hospital David unwrapped Max from his cocoon of blankets. The boy didn’t respond to the loss of warmth, his head lolled back as he was bunched up into David’s arms. He sprang out of the passenger seat and ran as fast as he could to the Emergency Entrance. Max’s body was limp and lifeless as he was bounced around in David’s arms.

David burst through the door and screamed, “Please! Somebody help! My son isn’t breathing!”

A doctor rushed to him and quickly ordered a stretcher to be brought over. David carefully set Max down and stepped back as an army of ER doctors swarmed Max.

“His heart’s stopped! We have a full code! Hand me the defibrillator!”

David watched in horror as Max’s sweatshirt was cut off his tiny body and paddles were placed onto his beaten and broken chest. Someone grabbed David’s shoulder and quickly turned him around. He buried his face in the stranger’s chest and sobbed as he heard shock aftershock.

It took two minutes for Max’s heart to start beating again. They were the longest minutes of David’s life.

The moment a doctor said there was a pulse, David’s knees buckled and he sunk to the ground. Apparently, whoever was holding onto David went down with him, because he felt strong arms wrap around him. Something told David to look up at who was consoling him. He was shocked when he looked into the eyes of his ex-mentor.

Cameron’s face was stoic, but his eyes showed hints of sorrow and compassion in them. David didn’t care that he was appearing weak before the man who tried to frame him. So he let his head rest against Cameron’s chest as he sobbed.

“David?” Cameron spoke softly to him, “David, wake up. Don’t relive this memory again, you’ve already suffered through it once before.”

_ What? _

Suddenly, David’s eyes shot open. He groaned softly as his neck cracked painfully from his uncomfortable sleeping position. He sat up in his chair, looking down at where he’d been laying on Max’s hospital bed. On the sheets where his head had been resting there was a damp spot. David touched his cheek only to find he was still crying from the nightmare.

_ Not a nightmare. A memory. A terrible memory. _

One that would surely haunt him for the rest of his life. 

David looked at the standard alarm clock sitting on the end table across the room. It read 3:43 am. David turned his head and saw Gwen snoozing soundly on the couch. Her hair was wild and unruly as it clung to the remainder of her ponytail.

“Bad dream?” A small voice spoke from the darkness. David turned to see Max sitting up in his bed, David’s phone clenched in his hand.

“You know you have your own phone, right? You don’t need to keep stealing mine.” David teased.

“Old habits die hard, I guess.” Max shrugged, “But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Yeah, bad dream. I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” David assured the boy. Max looked skeptical and David felt a wave of nervousness hit him.

“I thought you always said it was better to talk about bad dreams than to keep them hidden? Something about it...being healthy?” The boy smirked.

David sighed, caught in a web of his own creation, “Alright, you got me. It was just about when we brought you into the hospital. Just a bad memory that my subconscious wanted me to relive.”

“You want to talk about it?” Max asked timidly. David felt fear creep up his spine and he quickly shook his head. For once, Max decided to let it go.

“You should be asleep, Max. You need your rest. Nikki and Neil are visiting in the morning, remember?” 

“I know, I know. I just...couldn't sleep.” Max looked down at the blankets that curled around him snugly. 

“Bad dream?” David said with slyness, his mouth curling up into a smirk.

“Heh, no. More like...bad memories.” Max said solemnly. 

David nodded, “It will be like that for a while, but you’re safe. I promise.”

“Dad?” Max asked, causing David’s heart to leap in his throat at the name.

_ Oh my god, he called me dad. _

“Calm down, or I won’t do it again,” Max warned,

“ _ Right. _ Yes, Max?” David answered, his voice wobbly and nervous.

“Will I ever be okay again? I mean...will I ever be happy again? I don’t want to be scared anymore.”

_ I don’t even know if I’ll ever be okay again, Max. _

He didn’t say that though, he needed to give an honest answer but without frightening Max.

“In short, yes, you will be okay again, but it will take time. There will always be bad things in this world and I won’t always be able to protect you. But I will always try my best. Being ‘happy’ all the time doesn’t exist. Joy and happiness come in waves. There are times when you will be happy and times when you won’t. If you focus too much on trying to be happy, then most likely you won’t ever be happy.”

Max nodded as David broke for breath. He wasn’t finished, however,

“I’ve spent my entire life searching for happiness, and even once I’d finally found it. It never filled me with eternal joy. There were always days where I was sad, but I never let it ruin my day. Now while I always try to appear happy, I’ve found that you stray from it. You believe if you let yourself be happy, then something bad will happen. Life doesn’t work that way, Max.”

“Life isn’t something that is tasked with destroying your happiness. Life is just life. It is there to let you be happy or sad, or even angry. While there are people out there in the world who may try to hurt you, that is never your fault. But you alone are responsible for your own happiness, and nobody else. You’ve suffered more than any eleven-year-old I’ve ever met. No one your age deserves to go through what you’ve gone through, no one at any age deserves that.”

“You might not be happy today, or tomorrow, or even the day after that. But it isn’t your fault, it’s your father’s. Trauma and pain will make you sad, even angry, for a while. But it will heal, just like your wounds. It will take time, but one day, I know you’ll let yourself be happy again.”

“He was never my father,” Max said suddenly, he looked up at David and smiled, “You are my dad. You always have been, I was just too stubborn to see that.”

“You know I love you, right?” David smiled, his heart filled with joy, “You’re my kid. My son. And I’m so proud of you.”

Max stretched out his arms, which prompted David to wrap the boy up in a gentle hug.

“I love you too, Dad.”

\-------------------------------------------------

“HOLY SHIT YOU’RE ALIVE!” 

Max groaned as the loud girlish voice shook him from his slumber.

“Jesus, Nikki! Quiet down, they’re other people in this hospital.” Another voice shushed.

Max’s eyes snapped open, just in time for him to dodge the green-haired girl's incoming pounce.

“Careful, Nikki. He’s still very sore.”

“Oops, sorry.”

“OH MY GOD, YOU’RE NOT DEAD,” Neil yelled as he entered the room.

“For fuck’s sake.” Gwen sighed.

Max carefully moved into a sitting position as his two best friends gently wrapped the boy into a tearful hug. 

“You thought I was dead?” Max asked, “Come on guys, we all know I’m fucking invincible.”

“Well maybe we would have known sooner if  _ someone _ hadn’t thrown us in jail for five hours” Nikki turned to glare at Gwen as she spoke, a sour note in her voice.

“Not sorry,” Gwen murmured, turning her attention back to her trashy magazine.

“How are you feeling, Max?” Neil asked as he peeked out from behind Nikki’s wild curls.

“Sore as hell. Kidnapping will do that to you, I guess.”

“We’re just happy you’re okay, Max,” Nikki said, her arms still wrapped around him.

Max gently pried Nikki’s limbs from him, his ribs were screaming from her vice grip. She quickly let go and jumped from the bed, her curls bouncing as she darted into the hallway.

“How are you really, Max?” Neil said as he scooted next to Max on the bed. 

“Oh you know, traumatized. I think though...I think I’m going to be okay,” Max said with confidence.

“God, you scared the hell out of us.” Neil sniffled, he gently hugged Max as he cried silently into his hospital gown.

Max reciprocated the hug given that Neil wasn’t squeezing the life out of him as Nikki had.

“Sorry,” Max whispered and wrapped his arms around Neil.

The two stayed there until Nikki bounced back into the room with someone snared in her arms.

“Nikki, stop! I can walk on my own!” Andrew piped, trying desperately to remove Nikki from him.

“Andrew!” Max said gleefully, happy to see his friend.

Andrew hesitated at Max’s bed frame but waved cheerfully at him.

It didn’t take long for Max to piece together his friend’s hesitation. 

“Stop feeling guilty and come give me a fucking hug.” 

Andrew’s smile wobbled but the boy listened as he raced to embrace Max. His red hair tickled Max’s nose as the boy shook with tears.

Max grabbed his arms and spoke firmly, “It’s not your fault, okay? Nothing that happened was your fault.”

“But...B-but if I had just--” Andrew began but Max cut him off.

“ _ No _ . Listen to me. He threatened to shoot you, Andy. If you had figured out what was going on, you’d be dead right now. In any case, you did the right thing. You told Dad...I mean, David, what was going on. That’s all you could have done.”

Andrew nodded glumly, but Max could tell that some of his guilt would linger for a while.

The boy carefully unwrapped from Max and together the four of them talked for hours about anything but Max’s kidnapping. Nikki prattled away about her new rock-climbing club, while Neil spoke of a few Chemistry club catastrophe that led to a few detentions. Andrew sat quietly for the most part until Neil mentioned that a new Smash Bros character had been announced.

Max just relished in the unrelenting chatter, content that his friends were actively trying to force him to talk.

_ Happy. I’m happy. _ Max thought and for once it was true.

At around six, visiting hours ended and Nikki and Neil said they’re goodbye, they had a train to catch and they couldn’t be late. They were apparently in heaps of trouble for running away to save Max. Andrew lingered for a few minutes after they left as he waited for his sister to come to pick him up. Before he left, Andrew promised to come to visit him on Friday after school. He told him that his homeroom class had made cards for him and that he personally would deliver them. Then he laughed and promised that together they could go through them and find the genuine ones. 

“You’ll never guess who started ugly crying in class when they announced you were missing.” 

“Who?” Max wondered, surprised that someone would miss him that much despite only being at the school for a month.

“Avery Black!” He exclaimed.

“No fucking way.” 

“Way.”

Someone coughed at the door and Andrew smiled at his older sister. She hugged the boy and greeted Max awkwardly. Andrew quickly hugged Max goodbye and left.

Sadness began to creep into his heart but Max shook it off. His friend would be back on Friday and he could text all three of them whenever he wanted. 

Gwen looked up from her magazine and whispered, “Is the circus gone?”

Max giggled and rolled his eyes, “Yes, Gwen. They’re all gone. You’re stuck with just one circus freak now.”

“God forbid,” Gwen closed her magazine and set it down on the couch. She motioned for Max to scoot over and curled up next to the boy. 

“Movie time?” She asked, a lilt of excitement in her voice.

“My pick!” Max claimed, laughing darkly at the disappointment in Gwen’s face.

“Alright, you little shit, your pick. What’ll it be?” 

Max thought for a moment before deciding on one of his childhood favorites, “How to Train your Dragon?”

“Hell yes!” Gwen said, pumping her arms into the air.

“Language! We’re in a hospital, you guys.” David chided as he entered the room, a tray of food in his hands.

“Get fucked!” The two said simultaneously, they looked at each other gleefully before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

David pulled up the chair next to Max’s bed and handed Gwen the remote. He sat the tray to the side and rested his head against Max’s legs.

Suddenly he sat up and pulled out his phone, “Oh, I forgot! Rachelle and Emilie sent this video of Karma this morning. She’s doing well and can’t wait to see you again.”

Max grabbed the phone and pressed the play button, he missed Karma terribly and was excited to see even a video of her. Max watched as Karma and Oliver played together on the floor of Rachelle and Emilie’s apartment. He giggled when Karma began pouncing on Oliver’s teething ring. The video ended and Max smiled, he couldn’t wait to see his cat again. It wouldn’t be long now. He had maybe a few days left before he was discharged

Suddenly the TV blared as Gwen started up the movie. Max handed David’s phone back to him and snuggled up close to Gwen. David rested his head back onto Max’s legs and sighed happily.

Max smiled, letting joy dance inside him. He then whispered to himself,

_ “It was worth all of it. Just to be here now. It was worth every second.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I finished it! HOLY SHIT! I WROTE A WHOLE ASS BOOK!
> 
> I just want to thank you guys from the bottom of my heart for supporting me throughout this entire adventure and before you ask.
> 
> YES! THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!
> 
> I'll probably have the first chapter out sooner rather than later. I still need to write a full outline for it. Thank you guys so much for reading this and please leave a comment to let me know what you think the sequel will be about or good ideas for it.
> 
> Seriously, I'm really interested and thoroughly enjoy reading LONG ASS COMMENTS. I love them and they fill me with delight.
> 
> See you guys in the sequel! 
> 
> -Emi.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Tumblr for HtFaA updates!
> 
> @emiartse
> 
> https://emiartse.tumblr.com/post/188341545851/how-to-foster-an-asshole


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